Steel Rose
by Random1377
Summary: After a chance encounter with her sister, Motoko modifies the way her life is led.  Her decision creates ripples of change at the Hinata Sou that no one, least of all Motoko, could have anticipated. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _Love Hina_ is owned by Ken Akamatsu, that kooky manga-ka of song and stage. Should he, or any of his friends/coworkers/associates/pets ask, this story will be removed from the web ASAP. I'm not making money on this, Ken… don't sue me.

Steel Rose

By Random1377

Motoko woke that day feeling strangely uneasy and edgy. It felt to her, as she dressed, that a storm was on its way – the kind of general foreboding that dark clouds and damp smelling winds bring to old sailors and well-trained cattlemen. Looking out the window as she headed towards her door, she found that the skies were a bit gloomy, but she still felt that it was more than that.

Something would change that day. She was sure of it.

Things were quiet in the Hinata sou, leading Motoko to believe that she was the only one awake, but when she reached the kitchen, she found Shinobu tooling about, clearly too caught up in the act of making breakfast to notice her. Not wanting to startle the girl, Motoko cleared her throat.

"Good morning, Shinobu."

"Oh, good morning, Motoko-sempai," Shinobu said politely, glancing over her shoulder at the other girl, "did you sleep well?"

Motoko took a seat at the table. "Reasonably," she murmured, looking at the clock over the stove and noting the time. "You're up very early," she observed, "and… are we having company? That seems like a lot of food."

Shaking her head, Shinobu replied, "No, I just wanted to cook something special for Sempai's birthday."

Without a prefix, 'Sempai' meant that Shinobu was talking about Urashima. Every resident of the Hinata sou knew this quite well.

Motoko had not known it was his birthday, however, and mentioned this to Shinobu.

_Leave it to him to have a birthday during the coldest month of the year._

"Oh, I know," Shinobu said, drawing the swordsman's attention back to her. "He told me that he doesn't really like people making a big deal out of it, so he doesn't talk about it a lot – and since it's so soon after Christmas, no one has any money left, so he feels guilty if people buy him presents."

Surveying the spread the younger girl was making, Motoko murmured, "Wouldn't this be considered making a big deal out of it?"

Though she was facing away, Motoko was sure that Shinobu was blushing. "Well, yeah," she said softly, "but I think it's a big deal, so…"

Motoko felt that pressing the issue would only embarrass the girl, so she left it at that.

"I'm going out to train."

"Ok. Bye."

The blade had always been a comfort to Motoko. Simply drawing it immediately calmed her jangling senses… or rather, dulled the sensation of wrongness she had awoken with. _What is this feeling of imbalance?_ she thought, giving her sword a few perfunctory swings before acknowledging that she was too unfocused to practice effectively and wandering back into the Hinata. _It… it isn't just today,_ she realized suddenly, _it's been building for a while, I just pushed it aside as unimportant. I suppose it won't be ignored anymore._

What 'it' was, she still did not know, but she felt that it would be in her best interest to find out before it grew from an irritation into a distraction.

"I'm going out," she informed Shinobu, grabbing a roll off of the table and starting for the front door. "I don't know if I'll be back in time for breakfast."

"I understand," Shinobu nodded, barely looking up from her cooking, "have a safe trip."

Motoko opened her mouth to say that she wasn't going on a trip, but closed it again without saying a word.

Perhaps… a little trip would do her good.

"I might not be back today, Shinobu."

The younger girl did not look up this time, as her attention was too focused on what she was doing, so Motoko simply left, walking purposefully down the front steps of the Hinata and into the town without once glancing back.

Whatever awaited her, she decided, would be met with her eyes open and her blade prepared.

Or so she thought.

( 0 0 0 )

"Mama, I wanna go hoooommme!"

Motoko rested her head on the train's glass window, trying her best to ignore the whining of the child five seats up from her.

The destination of the train was Kyoto, a place she had not been since she had nearly ended up married to Keitaro. Actually, Motoko wasn't entirely positive that it was headed to Kyoto – she had not really paid attention when she bought her ticket. She had boarded on impulse after walking around town for three hours, feeling that perhaps a change in venue would help clear her thoughts (and help warm her freezing backside), but she was still conflicted and uneasy.

_It's like I'm missing something,_ she thought, ignoring the mother's reply as she focused on herself. _Missing something… or maybe anticipating something? I feel as if I should-_

"I said we'll get there in a minute, shut up!"

A sharp crack drew Motoko's attention. The child, it seemed, had incurred her mother's wrath and earned herself a light slap across the face… somewhat of a harsh punishment for nagging, Motoko thought, but not completely out of line. As a warrior woman, she had seen her fair share of corporal punishment, though it had been some time since anyone had dared to slap her.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" a voice at her side observed. "Though mother was far more patient than that woman, she did have a breaking point."

Motoko was out of her seat in an instant. "Sister," she said, automatically lowering her eyes in deference, "I… I didn't see you there…"

"No," Tsuruko said brightly, "even if I hadn't been masking my ki, you were too focused on yourself to have noticed a flock of geese, let alone your own flesh and blood."

"What do you want, sister?" Motoko wondered.

"Mmm… just wanted to see you," Tsuruko mused, glancing around at the train's other occupants. "That's it."

"And you thought public transit was the best place to find me?"

Tsuruko shrugged absently. "I was passing by the train station and I felt your turmoil."

Motoko frowned. "That's… very impressive."

"Isn't it just?" Tsuruko said serenely, "Now give me a smile and show that you're happy to see your big sister."

A sickly half-grin was her reply.

"I've been keeping tabs on you, you know," the older Aoyama said without preamble. "You seem… lost, little sister. What's on your mind?"

On the verge of asking what business it was of hers, Motoko suddenly blurted, "I'm missing something."

Tsuruko smiled indulgently. "Indeed," she said calmly. "Your uncertainty is coming off of you like sweat, little sister… it's what drew me to you."

"Drew you?" Motoko wondered.

"Yes," Tsuruko said quietly. "The bond between sisters is strong. I felt your restlessness from miles and miles away, so I came to see you."

"Our school doesn't teach skills like that," Motoko murmured. "You're toying with-"

"I told you it was the bond of a sister," Tsuruko interrupted, "and no, out school does not teach skills such as that… at your level."

Motoko eyed her warily. "I… wasn't aware that there were any higher levels."

Tsuruko gave her another angelic smile. "Of course a student at a lower level would not _know_ of the higher ones until she was _ready_ for them," she said sweetly. "It's only common sense to think that a person would not know everything there is to know about a certain subject at such a young age… wouldn't you agree?"

Uneasily, Motoko said, "Why are you really here?"

It galled her that she could not even manage to meet her sister's eyes.

Smiling at the top of her sister's head, Tsuruko replied, "I can feel you verging… aching to move forward… knowing you're missing something vital… confused and unsure. I'm here to help you, little sister."

"So help me," Motoko said expectantly. "I… suppose I have to say please, of course, so… please, sister, help me reach the next level of training."

Tsuruko's smile never wavered.

"I can't."

Motoko wondered if maybe this wasn't some kind of bizarre prank.

"Or rather," Tsuruko corrected after a moment, "I can't simply tell you. Come now, little sister… you didn't think it would be _easy_, did you?"

_Of course not,_ Motoko thought tiredly, _nothing worthwhile in this world is easy._

Swallowing her pride, she mumbled, "What advice do you have for me, sister?"

Looking pleased at her younger sister's deference, Tsuruko said, "You must face a trial."

"Well of course," Motoko sighed, "another trial. So, what is it then?"

"I can't tell you."

Motoko's hands clenched in her lap. "Then… I won't ever progress?" she asked softly. "I'm stuck at this level? That's what you came to tell me, sister? That's… that's so cru-"

"You must make amends with someone you do not like," Tsuruko cut in coolly. "Your pride must give way to your innermost heart's understanding. You must surrender something that you feel you can never surrender to someone whom you would never consider surrendering it to."

"I… I don't understand," Motoko confessed. "Please, sister… I don't understand."

Smiling patiently, Tsuruko concluded, "You know what you must do… you know who must play a part… and you know where you must go to begin."

Motoko let out a long, tired sigh. "I don't know anything," she said uncomfortably. "All I know is that-"

"Sister," Tsuruko cut in, her voice still warm… though much firmer and more direct than before. "You're over thinking, little sister. You _have_ the answers inside, you're just hiding them from yourself because you're too scared to face them. I cannot be your dues-ex in this matter, Motoko… this is a path you must tread alone."

Glancing around to see how many people were watching their off conversation, Motoko thought, _Alone? Well… I should be used to that by now… _

After a few moments of studying her younger sister, Tsuruko gave her a soft smile. "I thought you might react this way," she said, putting a hand on Motoko's shoulder. "So I brought a gift for you to pave the way." Reaching into her gi, she pulled out a small, silk-wrapped bundle and handed it to her younger sister.

Pulling a corner of the fabric back, Motoko gasped, her eyes shooting to Tsuruko's as she sputtered, "This is… I can't… that man gave you this as a wedding present! I can't take-"

"You can," Tsuruko whispered, "you will… and you must." She moved her hand up to tousle Motoko's hair. "It is mine to give, and I feel that it will help you gain what you most desire."

Forcing Motoko's hands to close around the bundle, Tsuruko stepped back.

"Do not give it lightly, little sister," she said evenly. "It's barely six o'clock… spend the rest of the day thinking about what you truly want out of life, and then make your choice at the witching hour – no, not because it is significant, but because… I've always liked it." With a final smile, she stepped backwards, her timing flawlessly carrying her out of the opening doors of the train and into the bustle of the evening rush hour crowd.

Motoko blinked… and she was gone.

( 0 0 0 )

Keitaro yawned expansively, stuffing the last few bits of trash into the garbage and smiling down at where Shinobu sat dozing at the kitchen table. "Shinobu-chan," he said, gently shaking the girl awake, "Shinobu-chan… it's late, you should go to bed."

"Hmm…?" Shinobu hummed, rubbing at her eyes as she looked blearily around the kitchen. "Sempai… is it… is your party over?"

Keitaro thought back over the past few hours. Kitsune dancing with a light shade on her head… then trying to get Keitaro and Naru to kiss and promising him a 'special' birthday present if he followed her to her room, followed by Su and Sarah giving him their birthday kicks and punches (their version of the classic pinch to grow an inch) all while Shinobu had desperately tried – with varying degrees of success – to keep things under control.

All in all, it had been quite an evening.

"Yeah, finally," Keitaro nodded. "Everyone else is asleep already… I'm just cleaning up."

Shinobu immediately rose to her feet. "Oh, no – don't," she said quickly, "it's your birthday, you shouldn't have to-"

"I'm done," Keitaro cut in, "it's fine, Shinobu… you worked too hard today for me to make you clean up too." Trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn of her own, Shinobu tried to protest again, but Keitaro simply waved it away. "Go to bed, Shinobu," he said, patting her head affectionately, "and thank you for a wonderful birthday."

Though she had planned to confess her feelings after everyone else had gone to bed, Shinobu found herself stuttering a goodnight instead and turning a rather bright shade of crimson. It was probably the hundredth time she had decided to confess, of course, but his birthday would have been so perfect. With a deep sigh, she promised herself that it would be soon – yes, definitely soon.

"Don't trip over Kitsune," Keitaro advised, "she's passed out in the hall… couldn't quite get her to her room."

After the girl had gone, Keitaro took a final look around the kitchen, nodding as he found everything relatively clean, and clicked off the lights, making his way towards the stairs leading to his room.

"Urashima," a soft, hesitant voice called as he crossed through the foyer, "Urashima… wait a moment, please."

"Oh, Motoko," Keitaro said politely as the girl stepped out of the shadowy living room, "umm, hi."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Motoko assessed him for a moment before asking, "Was your birthday enjoyable?"

Keitaro nodded, still looking awkward as he said, "Yeah, we had a good time. We tried to find you to join us for the party – which lasted pretty much all day – but you weren't around…"

"Yes," Motoko said, "I had… something I had to work out."

"Oh."

They stared at each other in silence for several moments, until Keitaro finally cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"Well," he said uncomfortably, "I've gotta wake up in the morning – you know, lots of cleaning and… and stuff, so… goodnight."

He moved to leave, but came up short, flinching in anticipation of another birthday whipping as Motoko laid a hand on his shoulder. "Before you go," she murmured, "I have something for you."

Keitaro glanced over his shoulder. "You don't have to give me anything," he said, eyeing her sword's sheath in case a sound beating (a gift he had received many times before) was what she was thinking of. "It's after midnight – not even really my birthday anymore – and… and you don't _have_ to get me something just because I'm the manager or because you think you have to."

"I'm not shallow enough to give a gift like this for those reasons, Urashima," Motoko said flatly, "why must you make even a small gesture of kindness so difficult for me?"

"Just… stupid, I guess," Keitaro said weakly. "I'm sorry."

Motoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Please accept my gift," she said formally, reaching into her gi to pull out a small, carefully wrapped package. "And please accept my apologies for snapping at you."

There was another moment of profound silence as Keitaro gaped, open-mouthed, at Motoko, unable to believe that he had just heard her apologize to him.

Holding her hand out, Motoko said, "H-happy birthday, Keitaro."

In spite of the girl's hesitance and clear reluctance, Keitaro's hand moved very slowly as he reached out and took the small package from her, holding it gingerly – in case it was explosive – and whispering, "Thank you… Motoko."

"Mm."

Motoko waited as Keitaro unwrapped his gift, her hand falling unconsciously to the comfortingly familiar grip of her sword.

"It's… a rose," Keitaro said slowly. "Is it silver?"

Forcing her hand to leave the blade, Motoko said, "It's steel, Keitaro… silver is shinier."

"What does it mean?"

Though her instincts told her to simply turn tail and run, Motoko found herself explaining, "It means that something hard can still hold beauty… and that something that seems to be one thing, may be another." She took a deep breath. "It means that I… am not perfect, but that I hope you will accept me as I am."

Keitaoru blinked in confusion. "Accept you?"

"As a friend," Motoko said quietly, "as… an equal, I suppose. I feel that, perhaps, I've been very hard on you, Urashima-san, and it was recently pointed out to me that sometimes the most difficult of relationships can sometimes be the most rewarding."

"But we don't have a relationship," Keitaro said uncomfortably.

Motoko drew a calming breath. "I know that," she said patiently, "but what I'm trying to tell you is that I would like to have one. I… it is hard for me to say this, but I… I'm rather fond of you, Keitaro." She ground her teeth. "Please don't gape at me like that," she grumbled, "it makes this more difficult."

Keitaro frowned so hard he gave himself a headache. "So you want to have a relationship with me?" he finally mumbled, flinching in preparation of the backlash this bold statement would bring.

"A _friendship_," Motoko corrected more forcefully than she'd intended. "A friendship is a kind of relationship, Keitaro. Lord, it's hard for me to say this to you, do you know that? Every instinct in me tells me that you're a cretinous loser pervert, and that I should save everyone time and heartache by just beating you until you leave this place."

"Gee," Keitaro said awkwardly, "you really know how to make a guy feel loved."

"And that is my flaw," Motoko said quietly. "My heart tells me one thing, while my previous experience with men tells me another – and I don't know which to believe."

Taking a deep breath, Keitaro said, "I don't… really know what you're asking me to do here, Motoko."

Motoko was unable to contain her frustration. "This is too hard," she whispered. "I can split a stone or divide a demonic soul from an innocent one from a hundred yards away… but I can't make you understand that I'm asking for help – sister was right, I am weak." Slowly, she drew her blade, offering it hilt-first to Keitaro.

"Wh-what do you want me to do with that?" Keitaro spluttered, his tone clearly showing his concern that the girl was planning some sort of assisted ritual suicide.

"Take it," Motoko said simply, "nothing more."

Keitaro frowned. "I always thought that if I touched your sword you'd have to kill me for its honor, or something."

Motoko averted her eyes. "Please take it," she said softly. "It… means something to a swordsman to offer her blade to someone she thinks of as an inferior… if you don't take it, I… I won't ever be able to rise above my current standing."

"I don't understand."

Closing her eyes, Motoko intoned, "Please relieve me of this burden I bear… and make me more than I am…"

Uncertainly, Keitaro looked from the blade to Motoko's face, completely at a loss for words.

"O… ok…"

Motoko shivered as her blade was taken from her, leaving her feeling powerless and weak… naked and defenseless.

"So, ok, I took it," Keitaro said, making her open her eyes. "Here."

Hugging herself to keep from reaching for the blade, Motoko said, "I'd like you to hold it for me, Keitaro."

Confused, Keitaro looked at the keen edge of the sword. "For how long?"

Managing a wry smile, Motoko whispered, "One year."

"_What?_"

Keitaro's cry of shock drew the attention of Naru, who happened to be wandering back from using the bedroom. Glancing down the stairs, she spotted Keitaro standing in front of Motoko – or rather, in the low light, with her glasses off, she saw Keitaro standing over a bowing figure in a gi and threatening it with a sword.

Of course, Naru could not let this slide.

"_Kei-tar-o!_"

The Hinata manager went a sickly shade of white as he heard the familiar war cry, instinctively holding the blade out in front of him as he whirled toward the source of the sound. "N-Naru!" he stammered, backing against the wall as the girl began stalking down the stairs towards him. "I'm not… this isn't… _I didn't do anything_!"

Pushing her sleeves up as she came, Naru growled, "Really… some people never learn! Motoko, did this pervert touch you? I know you can protect yourself, but-"

As Naru drew alongside Motoko, the dark-haired girl laid a hand on her arm. "Naru," she said gently, "come here…"

Naru frowned as Motoko gestured her closer, listening intently as Motoko whispered into her ear. "No," she gasped, jerking away and gaping at the younger girl, "a year? With _him_?"

"Yes," Motoko said calmly, "and it's difficult enough for me to be doing this… please don't make it any harder, Naru."

"But… but you can't," Naru protested. "This is wrong – especially with him!"

"Umm, excuse me," Keitaro said cautiously, "can someone tell me what's going on?"

Casting him a withering glance, Naru muttered, "You took Motoko's sword from her… in the Shinmei School when someone offers her blade to someone else, it means she is giving it as a gesture of servitude."

"Servitude?" Keitaro exploded, looking at the sword as if it might suddenly twist in his hand and run him through.

"Servitude is the wrong word," Motoko said levelly. "The meaning of the ritual is more along the lines of apprenticeship… a swordsman gives up her blade for a year and puts herself in the care of the person she gave the blade to, spending the time learning the craft or trade that person possesses and serving as somewhat of a valet or servant, though she still has the right to refuse to do anything the 'master' asks, if it's degrading or unwholesome."

"But I don't have a trade," Keitaro blurted.

"Unless you count failure," Naru snorted. "Really, Motoko… this is pointless. I mean, I don't know everything about your school or anything, but what you're doing doesn't make any sense to me. Going a whole year without touching your sword, just to apprentice in loserhood? Be realistic. Why don't you just take the sword back and go to bed?" She lowered her voice to a mumble. "You're obviously too tired to think straight."

Keitaro held out the blade. "Naru's right," he said softly, "I've just barely gotten into Toudai after like, three years of trying – I don't really have any skills to teach you or anything."

Motoko's brow drew down as she looked from Keitaro to Naru. "This isn't _easy_ for me, you know," she said angrily, "and I'm not enslaving myself to Urashima, I simply-" she cut herself off, clenching her hands into fists and counting to ten to calm herself. Once she had herself under control, she fixed her eyes on Keitaro's and said, "How many times has Naru hit you?"

Keitaro switched the blade from one hand to the other and back again as he counted on his fingers, smiling weakly as Naru glared at him. "Er," he replied finally, "some…?"

"And do you hate her?"

Keitaro gave Naru a horrified glance, as if the very idea of this was so outrageous it could barely be spoken aloud.

"Do I… no!" Keitaro he gasped, averting his eyes as Naru shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I don't hate her… she's… no, I don't hate her."

Motoko turned to Naru. "Can you teach me that?"

"Teach you what?" Naru wondered, "How to hit someone, or how to roll with it so it makes it look worse than it really is?"

With a longsuffering sigh, Motoko reached out, laying her fingers gently on the back of Keitaro's hand and pushing until the hilt of her blade was pressed firmly against his chest. "All I ask," she said evenly, "is that you allow me to apprentice with you – you don't have to do anything… I'll do everything."

"Apprentice in _what_ though?" Naru demanded. "Honestly, you-"

"Please excuse us," Motoko cut in sharply. "This really isn't your concern, and you're confusing Urashima."

Naru looked stunned. "Doesn't concern me?" she gasped. "I'm your friend! Why do you think this wouldn't concern me?"

"If you're my friend, stay out of this," Motoko countered. "This is my choice – my life. Don't interfere if you don't understand why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"Maybe you _should_ sleep on it," Keitaro suggested awkwardly, nervously eyeing the door and wondering if maybe it wouldn't be better to just make a break for it than be between the two hot-tempered women. "I mean, it's past midnight, and-"

"If I put it off, I'll never do it," Motoko cut in, her voice taking on a rather desperate edge as she focused on Keitaro. "Please, Urashima, it's… important to me, on several levels, to do this. Please take me as your apprentice for the next year."

Feeling like a fish out of water, Keitaro looked to Naru for guidance, but the girl simply threw her hands up in the air as if to say, 'Do what you want.'

"…alright," he said quietly, "but I still don't know what you're going to be getting out of it."

Motoko gave him a deep, formal bow. "Perhaps, in time, it will become clear," she said neutrally, glancing briefly to Naru as she added, "to both of you."

"Oh it's none of my business," Naru grumbled, "remember? This is between you and him – forget I was even here."

Before either of them could reply, Naru stomped off down the hall, slamming the door to her room and leaving them in complete silence.

"She's mad…"

Motoko nodded. "She will get over it, eventually," she said calmly, slowly turning to face Keitaro once more. "I… would like to thank you for accepting me," she said formally, untying her sheath and offering it to him with both hands. "Please take good care of my blade… and myself."

Gingerly taking the sheath, Keitaro slid the blade into it, breathing a sigh of relief as the last inch of steel vanished into its dark confines. "I'll umm… do my best," he said weakly.

_Man,_ he thought, taking a moment to study the girl's face, _this is killing her…!_

Indeed, Motoko was on the verge of snatching her sword back and beating the man who had dared lay his hands on it with the flat of the blade, regardless of the fact that she had just given it to him. Surely there had to be a better way than this, hadn't there?

_But this is what Tsuruko said was required,_ she thought, forcing her hands to unclench, _right?_

"How may I serve you?"

Keitaro's jaw fell open at the same moment Motoko realized what she had said.

"I mean-"

"Go to bed," Keitaro blurted. "That's… go to bed, it's late… we'll figure out umm… everything tomorrow."

"Very well, S-Sensei…"

The word came so hard for the girl that Keitaro felt bad for her. "Rest well, Kohei."

Motoko's lips compressed into a thin line, clearly displeased at the way this sounded. "Thank you," she said stiffly. "You too."

With a sketch of a bow, she left Keitaro standing alone in the hall with nothing but a sword, a metal rose, and a headache to prove that anything unusual had happened.

Continued…?

Author's notes: I don't know if I can, or should, continue this one. I haven't read all that many Love Hina fics, so I don't know if this idea is cliché or not… and I think I've done enough cliché fics in my 'career.'

Hawker-748 pre-read this fic and put in some serious pointers, since he has mad writing skillz and a working knowledge of Love Hina mythology. Ha… I just used the word mythology to describe an anime. Hehe.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 2

By Random1377

Kitsune yawned and scratched her stomach, wandering down the hall from the bathroom and stepping absently over a miniature tank Su had left lying on the floor. _Kid's gonna be the death of me,_ she thought tiredly, thankfully grasping the handrail on the staircase and making her way towards the alluring smell of breakfast. _I'm the only girl I know that's been attacked by a swarm of mechanized turtles in my own house – or anyone's house, when you get down to it._

"Morning," she said, waving to the people gathered in the kitchen before collapsing into one of the chairs. "Coffee… must have… coffee…"

Almost immediately, a mug was pressed into her hand. She knew better than to ask for a bit of sake first thing in the morning, of course – partly because the person that served breakfast was underage, but mostly because of the disapproving stares it would earn her.

Kitsune hated disapproving stares.

"Thanks, Shinobu."

As she lifted the mug to her lips, a rather reserved voice replied, "I'm not Shinobu."

Kitsune looked up so fast she nearly poured the coffee all over her shirt. "M-Motoko…?"

Staring neutrally back at her was, indeed, the swordsman Kitsune knew, only instead of her usual gi, the dark-haired girl was wearing a rather plain looking ankle-length skirt of some off-white color, and rather than the sword she was never without, she held a rather sharp butcher knife in her right hand. Her long hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, and she wore a kerchief on her head… though if pressed, Kitsune would have said that the biggest shock was the apron tied around the girl's waist.

"What are you doing?"

Motoko, her voice supremely toneless, replied, "Cooking."

Before Kitsune could comment on this, Motoko turned back to the counter and returned to the task she had been working on before Kitsune came in – namely, chopping green onions to add to a large stewpot on the stove.

"Ok," Kitsune said, wishing suddenly that she had not gotten out of bed. "Can anyone here tell me what's wrong with this picture?"

"Shinobu's got a fever," Naru said calmly, dipping her chopsticks back into her rice bowl. "Keitaro went into town to get some medicine for her, and Motoko…" she gave the gray-haired girl an unreadable look. "Motoko's helping with breakfast."

Motoko scooped some of the onions off the cutting board and slipped them into the pot. "Tell her the rest," she suggested. "She's going to find out eventually."

"The rest of what?" Kitsune wondered. "Why she's wearing that skirt? I mean, don't get me wrong, it looks fetching," she looked at Naru, "fetching is a good word, isn't it?"

"Yes," Naru agreed, taking great pleasure in watching Motoko's hand convulsively crush a bundle of onions, "fetching fits quite nicely."

"But you have to admit it's a little outside of the norm," Kitsune went on. "I mean, the whole French Maid thing was cute," she flashed Motoko's back a huge smile, "it _was_ mine, after all, but-"

"Are you quite finished?" Motoko asked, setting the knife down and drying her hands on her apron as she turned around. "Honestly, do you need to be this childish?"

Grinning, Kitsune replied, "Absolutely."

Motoko glowered, but Kitsune simply stuck out her tongue.

"Maybe you should just explain what's going on," Naru suggested.

"Well, you see," Motoko said after a moment, "there comes a time in every swordsman's career when he or she must decide what is more important – going over the same katas, or progressing to the next level, and he or she must consciously choose to proceed, or stagnate. Are you with me so far?"

Looking at Naru, Kitsune whispered, "Is she on drugs? I swear she's not using real words…"

"Drink your coffee," Naru suggested dryly. "Better yet – drink some sake… understanding her reasoning isn't possible with a hangover, and maybe if I was tanked, I'd get it myself."

Before anyone else could speak, Su poked her head out from under the table, making them all jump. "Motoko is Keitaro's slave," she said helpfully. "See? Simple!"

It was fortunate for Kitsune that she had not yet started to drink her coffee, or it would have ended up sprayed everywhere. "Say _what_?"

Motoko frowned at the MolMol native. "I am _not_ his slave," she said severely. "I am simply… learning from him."

Kitsune was starting to regain her mental balance… but this comment made about as much sense as if Naru had said there was a wooden robot living in the basement. "Learning what?" she said, arching an eyebrow. "Groping? Peeping? Underwear thievery? And where's your sword? I thought you loved that thing."

"Sometimes, to prove that you love something, you must give it up."

"Thank you, Missus Fortune Cookie," Kitsune said dryly. "Naru, can _you_ tell me what's going on?"

"Nope," Naru said bluntly. "I don't get it. I think it's stupid. So I can't help you on this one, because if I try to explain it, you'll just end up confused."

"Keitaro has Motoko's sword," Su piped up. "I saw it when I went to wake him this morning… and Motoko put all of her sword things in a box and put it in her closet."

Motoko's hands clenched at her sides. "You were in my room again, weren't you?" she demanded. "I've asked you not to go in without my permission, Su."

Su gave her a sunny smile. "You told Keitaro this morning that he could see you any time he needed to, since you were his slave," she said brightly. "I heard you this morning."

"Not slave," Motoko corrected, gritting her teeth in frustration, "apprentice!"

"Yes, slave," Su agreed happily. "My translation book says they mean the same thing – a person who serves another person in exchange for learning a skill or having shelter and food."

Flushing brightly, Motoko gasped, "They aren't the same at all!"

"None of this explains why you're letting Keitaro into your room," Kitsune pointed out, finally sipping her coffee.

Motoko threw her hand up in defeat. "It's too complicated," she said, turning back to her onions. "Let's leave it at this – I will be spending all of my time with Keitaro, and giving up the blade for one year… that is all you need to know."

Kitsune smiled from ear to ear. "And you think I can 'leave it at that' do you? …how cute."

Compressing her lips to a thin line, Motoko offered no reply.

( 0 0 0 )

As gently as he could, Keitaro slipped his hand under Shinobu's neck, carefully elevating her head and pressing the tiny plastic measuring cup from the medicine bottle against his lips. "Here," he said softly, "drink this, Shinobu… it'll make you feel better."

Shinobu's eyes fluttered open. "Huh…?" she murmured, trying unsuccessfully to look down at the cup. "What, Sempai…?"

"Drink," Keitaro repeated patiently. "It's medicine."

"O…k…"

Keitaro tipped the cup, dismayed as nearly a third of the thick, sugary glop ran down Shinobu's chin. "Let's clean that up," he said, taking a washcloth from the small pile next to the girl's futon and dipping it into the basin of water he had filled to help cool her down.

Shinobu managed a weak smile as he cleaned the sticky medicine off of her. "Sorry," she managed, "just so… tired…"

"It's ok," Keitaro said warmly. "Just rest and get better, ok?"

"Alright."

Changing the compress on her forehead, Keitaro sat next to the futon to wait. _Poor kid,_ he thought sadly. _She worked so hard yesterday she gave herself a fever – and she had strep like, three weeks ago. She can't get a break…_

"Too… nice to me…" Shinobu murmured deliriously.

"Shh," Keitaro said gently. "I'm just-"

"S'why… s'why I love you…"

Keitaro was taken aback for a moment, but he slowly smiled. "I love you too, Shinobu," he said gently, resting a hand on her burning skin. "Get some sleep, ok?"

Shinobu's lips curved up in a smile. "…k."

After several minutes, Keitaro checked her temperature with the digital thermometer he had purchased in town, sighing with relief as he found her just under a hundred degrees.

As the girl was asleep, Keitaro rose to his feet and stepped out into the hallway, nearly running headlong into Naru, Kitsune, and Motoko. "How is she?" Naru asked quietly, gesturing for everyone to move away from the door.

"Her fever's breaking," Keitaro said. "I think she's going to be fine, but I'll keep checking on her." He shook his head ruefully. "She's pretty out of it, though," he mused. "She told me she loved me."

The three girls exchanged glances, but forced laughs as Keitaro looked confused by their silence.

"I feel bad for her," Naru mumbled, quickly changing the subject. "When I came to check on her while you were buying medicine, she said her whole body hurt."

"She'll be fine," Kitsune said confidently. "She's almost as tough to kill as Keitaro here." She cast Motoko a sideways glance. "Though I guess there'll be one less person kicking his ass all the time, huh?"

"Oh," Keitaro said with some relief, "you told her?"

Kitsune's eyes were wide and sparkling as she said, "No, Su told me – and I think it's wonderful that you two are comfortable enough to be that open about your… unusual relationship."

When Keitaro looked bewildered – and Motoko looked furious – Kitsune threw her head back and laughed, skipping off to her room and leaving Naru and Motoko to explain her parting comment.

( 0 0 0 )

Mokoto stowed the last of the dishes in the cupboards and stretched her back, trying not to scowl around the spotless kitchen as a voice in her mind whispered, _Well, what were you expecting? You've committed to a year, Motoko… this is just the first day._

One day… out of three hundred and sixty five.

"I don't think I can do it."

Untying her apron, Motoko draped it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Had Shinobu not been sick, Motoko would have been able to spend more time observing Keitaro… and observing Keitaro was the key to moving up in her art – she was sure of it.

Certainly, Tsuruko had not come out and _said_ he was, but she had planted enough hints that Motoko was positive that he was part, if not the entirety, of the solution to her problem.

Now if she could just stomach him.

_He's not a BAD person, I suppose,_ she thought, pretending that she had never felt the stirrings of feelings for the clueless young man. _Maybe there is another way…_

She frowned as she pushed the door to the kitchen open. "What is that… noise…?"

Listening for a moment, Motoko paled, the sounds of pain becoming clearer as she rushed through the building, skidding to a halt in the entryway as she found Shinobu lying on her side in the middle of the room.

"Shinobu!"

"Uhh…"

The younger girl groaned, trying to sit up as Motoko cautiously approached her.

"Shinobu," Motoko called, kneeling at the girl's side and putting a hand on her head. "Oh you're burning up! Why did you get out of bed?"

Instinctively, Motoko reached for her blade, thinking that if she could cut away some of the girl's clothes, she could cool her down. She cursed as her hand closed on empty air. _Another way,_ she thought suddenly, _find_ _another way – you don't have to cut what can be untied._

Quickly, she unbuttoned Shinobu's shirt, pulling it halfway open to get more air to the girl's core.

"I was thirsty," Shinobu moaned, sounding a bit more coherent than the last time Motoko had seen her. "My throat hurt… I couldn't call anyone to get me a drink…"

"Silly thing," Motoko muttered, fanning the girl with the halves of her shirt and clucking like a mother hen. "You should have knocked on Kitsune's door – or even Urashima's… you're still sick, you could have fallen and gotten hurt."

"Sorry," Shinobu whispered. "Sorry I'm… such a nuisance."

Motoko sighed, crouching down to scoop the younger girl into her arms. "You're not a nuisance," she said patiently. "Let's get you back in bed. I'll get you a drink."

As they mounted the stairs, Shinobu rested her hot forehead against Motoko's cool shirt. "Sempai…" she whispered, "sempai I did something stupid…"

"Yes," Motoko agreed, "you did – so next time stay put. I'll get you a bell to ring, or something, just don't-"

"I said I loved him, sempai," Shinobu sobbed, clutching weakly at Motoko's shoulders.

Pursing her lips, Motoko murmured, "That's very… bold of you."

"I couldn't help it," Shinobu whimpered. "He's so sweet, sempai…"

Motoko kept her voice neutral. "Well there's no accounting for taste."

Shinobu fell silent, saying nothing as Motoko carried her into her room and laid her back on her futon, pulling the covers up to Shinobu's chin.

"I'll get you a drink."

"Thank you, sempai."

As Motoko turned to leave, Shinobu spoke one last time.

"He said he loved me too, sempai… do you think he meant it, or was he just trying to make me feel better…?"

Plucking at her skirt, Motoko chose her words carefully. "I'm sure he loves you in his own way, Shinobu," she said, keeping her back facing the younger girl as she spoke. "I doubt it's the same as what you feel, though, so I think it would be best if you didn't throw yourself at him or get weepy when he looks your way."

"Mm…"

Motoko waited for a moment, but Shinobu didn't say anything else. Without another word, she went to the kitchen and got the younger girl a drink… though when she came back, Shinobu appeared to be fast asleep.

( 0 0 0 )

Things were relatively quiet for several days – a fact that surprised Keitaro to no end. Kitsune, who he expected to ride both he and Motoko unmercifully about their arrangement, kept to knowing smiles and a few offhand comments, which simply led Keitaro to believe that she was biding her time and waiting for an opportune moment to strike, perhaps when there was a lot of company over and Motoko had a mouthful of food, for example.

Shinobu recovered and reclaimed the kitchen from Motoko, thanking her almost embarrassingly for taking such good care of things while she was sick. Since she had been down for so long, she quickly threw herself into catching up on all her missed homework and chores, somehow arranging it so she almost never saw Keitaro.

He did not even notice at first, and thought it no more than coincidence when he did.

And Naru… Naru spent her time rolling her eyes at him and muttering under her breath whenever she saw him. They still studied together, but as Motoko insisted on joining them – she was still a year away from tests, but said that she needed the practice, and to stay near Keitaro – their study sessions were awkward and quiet.

One afternoon, Keitaro stood leaning against the railing on the Hinata's porch, watching Shinobu sweep the front stairs. It was chilly, so she wore a thick jacket, and several snowflakes were drifting lazily through the air, occasionally falling on her rosy cheeks. The image was so idyllic that Keitaro quietly pulled out his sketchpad and began to draw, losing himself after only a few moments.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Keitaro nearly drew a line through the picture of Shinobu's face as someone walked up behind him and rested their chin on his shoulder.

_I smell sake,_ he thought immediately, shivering as he felt two soft somethings pressing against his back, _and whoever it is isn't wearing a bra, so I'm guessing it's…_

"K-Kitsune?"

"Mm, I like it when you say my name," Kitsune teased, throwing an arm over Keitaro's shoulder and peering down at the sketchpad. "Wow, you're getting good," she said appreciatively, pressing herself a bit more firmly against his back. "Great lines… good shading… it's perfect."

Keitaro sighed. _A bit tipsy and rubbing herself all over me,_ he thought uncomfortably. _This can only mean one thing._

"What do you need, Kitsune?"

"Oh, now why do you assume I need something?" Kitsune asked innocently, her breath tickling Keitaro's ear and making him go bright red as she turned to nuzzle his neck. "Maybe I'm just finally expressing the feelings I've tried to hide for so long…" After a moment of patient silence, she added, "…though if you could help me out with my chores so I could go see the Megumi concert tonight, I sure would appreciate it."

_So that's it._

"What do you have left to do?" Keitaro mumbled, knowing that no matter what it was, he would end up doing it.

He never could say no to Kitsune… or any of the other girls.

"Just a couple things," Kitsune said innocently. "Mostly, just… all of them."

Keitaro shook his head in wonder. "_All _of them?"

"Uh huh."

His shoulders slumping, Keitaro muttered, "Ok – but just this once."

It was a lie. They both knew it was a lie… but they both let it slide right past.

"Thanks Keitaro," Kitsune grinned, giving him a rather wet kiss on the cheek, "you're a lifesaver."

"You mean like a piece of candy?" Keitaro ask wryly. "The kind with a hole in the middle?"

Kitsune patted him on the shoulder. "Stick to your day job," she said warmly. "A life of comedy would only lead you to heartache."

"You mean like managing a girl's dorm?"

"Ooo getting better!" Kitsune laughed. "Ok, I'm going to get ready… thanks again, KeiKei."

"Aw, don't call me that!" Keitaro groaned. "That makes me sound like a puppy!"

Winking, Kitsune retorted, "I know, KeiKei. If you're lucky, I might just be drunk enough to give you a little… treat when I get home." When the young man blushed, Kitsune threw her head back and laughed out loud. "Thanks again, Keitaro."

"Sure…"

_She's so wild,_ Keitaro thought, turning back to his sketchpad and trying to find his place. _Now, I wouldn't MIND getting a 'treat' from her… I just doubt I'd be able to keep up with… hey, where did Shinobu go?_

The stairs where the young girl had been cleaning were conspicuously empty.

Sighing as he looked at his incomplete work, Keitaro whispered, "Guess I'll have to finish it by memory…"

( 0 0 0 )

"You know you should have told her no."

Keitaro nodded as he dusted the last corner of the television screen. "I know," he said, "I know…"

Motoko followed as he moved into the kitchen, her brow drawing down as she folded her arms over her chest, uncomfortably aware that her bra collection needed updating. She only had two sports bras, and regular ones never supported her as well. After so many years wearing bindings, nothing felt as comfortable, though the sports bras came close.

And she would certainly never run around unsupported like a certain, gray haired hussy she knew.

"All I'm saying," she insisted, "is that you let her take advantage of you. What do you get out of letting her walk all over you?"

"She doesn't walk all over me," Keitaro mumbled, clearing the last few dishes off of the table and getting a washcloth out of a drawer next to the sink. "I don't _always _do – hey Shinobu, can I get this wet? – her chores for her," he said as the younger girl stepped away from the sink. "She had concert tickets… what should I have done, let her miss it?"

"Yes," Motoko said immediately. "It would have taught her a good lesson about responsibility."

Running the washcloth under the faucet, Keitaro said, "Why are you so angry about this?"

Motoko moved out of the way as Shinobu quietly excused herself from the room. "It makes me mad because she's not _doing_ anything! She doesn't help with housework, she's not employed, she's not a student – she doesn't do anything at all, but when she wants to go to a concert, you just pick up the slack for her!"

Keitaro turned off the water, glancing at the kitchen door for a moment with a thoughtful expression. "Is Shinobu mad at me for some reason?"

"Don't change the subject," Motoko said impatiently. "Look, I know you want people to like you, Keitaro, but you should have a little dignity, shouldn't you? I mean, how can you expect Kitsune – or any of us – to respect you if you're scrubbing the dinner table while the person that _should_ be doing it is out having a good time?"

"Well it's not like I have anything better to do," Keitaro reminded her, shaking his head as he looked away from the door. "I've been accepted to Toudai, but for me, the term doesn't start for six months… all I've got to do is hang out with Naru while she studies to get a sneak peek of what I've got coming, and keep this place up – so if someone needs a little help with their chores once in a while, why shouldn't I help?"

Motoko's nostrils flared as she grumbled, "Because it's not just once in a while – it's all the time. Look, sensei… I said I wanted to learn from you, but so far all you've shown me is how to be a doormat. Maybe… maybe you should try being a bit more like Naru and standing up for yourself sometimes, huh?"

"Mm."

Motoko watched him clean for a moment before looking down at the floor and shaking her head.

"…hopeless."

Keitaro simply gave her an apologetic smile.

( 0 0 0 )

_Black or… black?_ Kitsune thought, holding two sweaters up against her chest and looking in the mirror. _Or maybe I should be saying… cleavage or no cleavage?_

She grinned at her reflection.

It was looking to be a promising evening. Her second best friend (Naru being first, of course) Mayumi had gotten four tickets as a sales incentive from work, and invited Kitsune in a breathlessly whispered phone conversation where words like, 'he's cute,' and, 'really your type,' and, 'loaded,' had told the gray-haired girl all she needed to know about the guy Mayumi was trying to set her up with.

Her smile widened a bit. _If he's cute enough… maybe my search is over._

Kitsune made no secret of the fact that she was looking for a guy with money – or at least the potential to make it, which explained her initial interest in the assumed Toudai student that was to become the Hinata's manager.

Not that she was disinterested in Keitaro, but with Naru practically salivating behind his back and Shinobu simpering at his feet, there could never be anything between them.

"Umm, sempai?"

_And speaking of simpering…_

"Hey Shinobu," Kitsune said, feeling marginally guilty for insulting the girl, even if it was only in her mind. "What's up?"

Shinobu came into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

This simple act drew Kitsune's attention because, quite frankly, anything Shinobu had to say could usually be said in front of anyone. She was the least secretive person Kitsune knew, and she doubted the girl had an ounce of guile in her, so she wouldn't be cooking up any plans to deceive anyone.

_Now this,_ she thought, choosing the sweater with the low-cut neckline, _is interesting._

"May I ask you something, sempai?"

As the door was shut, Kitsune pulled her shirt off, smiling as the younger girl averted her eyes. _So timid…_

"Sure, Shinobu… go ahead."

Waiting until Kitsune had pulled her sweater on, Shinobu looked up into her eyes and asked, rather bluntly, "Are you… seeing Urashima?"

Kitsune laughed, ruffling Shinobu's hair and shaking her head as she replied, "Why, are you thinking of going for it?"

"Yes."

"Well," Kitsune said, stowing her laughter as she found the younger girl staring at her with a completely serious expression. "Best of luck to you then, though I think you've got some pretty stiff competition."

Licking her lips, Shinobu said, "And are you one of them? You didn't answer me."

Kitsune leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees and looking into Shinobu's eyes. "Would you give up if I was?"

Shinobu averted her eyes, but held her ground. "I saw you kiss him today…"

"Ha," Kitsune snorted. "On the cheek – as a thank you… yeah."

"I don't-" Shinobu cut herself off, taking a deep breath and forcing her eyes to come up to meet Kitsune's once more. "I know that Naru likes him… and I think… I think Motoko does too…"

Kitsune shrugged. "Probably right on both counts," she said lightly, "but you're here talking to me."

"Yeah," Shinobu said, awkwardly looking away again. "I am."

Leaning against her wall, Kitsune asked, "Why? Do you really think he'd pick me, if it came down to a choice between all of us?"

Shinobu's hands wrung together against her stomach.

"M-maybe…"

Now curious, Kitsune asked, "And why is that?"

Shinobu pursed her lips, clearly unhappy that the older girl was not taking the conversation seriously. "…because you're the only one he lets get close to him."

"Huh?"

"He doesn't let anyone get close to him," Shinobu said slowly. "If Naru's nearby, or Motoko, or Su, or even… even me, he's tense and clumsy. He stumbles a lot, and accidentally, you know, touches us… but if he's paying attention, he never lets anyone get close enough to touch him."

"Except me," Kitsune finished sarcastically. "Right."

Shinobu frowned. "It's true," she said simply. "No one… none of us has ever hugged him or kissed him on purpose."

Ignoring the wide range of jokes this comment – and really, the entire conversation – presented, Kitsune said, "Yeah, but that's only because I don't hit him, and he knows I'm playing with him."

"Are you?"

Kitsune sighed. "Yes, Shinobu, I am," she said patiently, shooting a glance at the clock and clucking her tongue as she found that she only had twenty minutes to get ready. "Is that all you needed?"

_Spent too much time fooling around,_ she thought, _but hey… that's like, my M.O._

"So, you're not going out with Keitaro?"

"No, Shinobu, I'm not… he's all yours." Kitsune snorted. "You know, if you get past the others, I mean."

Shinobu nodded as if this was no laughing matter, then, to Kitsune's surprise, extended her hand. "Will you support me?"

Containing her smile, Kitsune took Shinobu's hand… then fell to one knee, kissing the girl's knuckles before she could pull back and proudly declaring, "I will do everything in my power to help my lady win her love!"

Instantly, the heavy mood in the room vanished, and Shinobu let out a nervous giggle. "Th-thanks, sempai."

"Sure, sure," Kitsune said, waving one hand. "Now shoo before I change my mind and go seduce him. If I'm the only one he lets close to me, it should be no problem!"

"Oh, don't even joke," Shinobu begged. "I'm… I'm really serious, sempai."

Kitsune put her hand on the girl's head. "I know you are," she said gently, "and like I said… I'll support you, ok? But just so you know, it's going to be hard."

Shinobu nodded. "I know," she sighed, "but I'm still going to try."

"Best of luck, then."

"Thank you."

As the younger girl took her leave, Kitsune shook her head, turning back to the mirror to regard herself for a moment. _Of course he doesn't like anyone else near him,_ she thought with some amusement, _you and Su are kids, and Naru and Motoko always kick his ass – why would he get anywhere near any of you?_

Smiling as she turned to examine her profile in the mirror, a final, wicked thought crossed her mind.

_I said I'd support you, Shinobu… but I can still play with him a little bit, can't I? Sure I can…_

When she left for the concert, Kitsune was smiling like cat who ate the canary.

Continued…

Author's notes: guess this means I'm officially continuing. It'll be slow going, since I haven't read all of the manga, and I'm going on mixed anime and manga continuity (weird, huh?), so I don't know when chapter 3 will be out. I do have a pretty decent direction, though, so hopefully it won't fall stagnant. Wish me luck.

Pre-read on this chapter was done by Hawker-748, who was good enough to point out that half of the original version was utter crap and needed to be rewritten. Couldn't have done it without you, man – seriously.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 3

By Random1377

Keitaro sat at the kitchen table with his sketchbook in front of him, resting his head against his fisted left hand as he scratched a few details into the drawing on the page before him. Snow fell heavily outside, collecting on the windowsill and partially obscuring his view of the outside world and giving the room a dim, cozy appearance – like something out of an old Norman Rockwell painting.

The idea of which, Keitaro liked. It was a private dream of his to be compared to Rockwell – or anyone of his caliber, really. He knew his drawings were decent, but he also knew that he was no Rockwell.

Perhaps, he mused, someday…

"Do you want some hot chocolate, Sempai?"

Blinking, Keitaro looked up. "Er, sure," he said, giving Shinobu a polite smile as the girl dried her hands on a small towel. "Do you need me to do anything? I'm kinda bored."

Shinobu waved one hand. "No, I can do it," she said warmly. "Can I see what you're drawing?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Sure."

As Shinobu came around the table to get a better look, Keitaro thought, _She's_ _sure been quiet since she had that fever…_

What at first he took for avoidance, Keitaro realized, was simply business. He hadn't realized how much work the young girl did around the house, so her always being where he was not could easily be attributed to her catching up on her chores. Now, three days after Kitsune's trip to the Megumi concert, Shinobu always seemed to be in the same room as him – though from what she was doing (cooking dinner, in this instance) it was clearly not deliberate.

Keitaro gave up trying to find hidden meaning on the girl's quietude. _She's probably just glad to be well again._

"Oh," Shinobu exclaimed, leaning over to get a better look at the drawing. "It's me."

Chuckling weakly, Keitaro said, "Well, it's the whole kitchen… I just thought since you were standing by the stove for so long, I could add you in."

Shinobu smiled happily. "It looks great, Sempai," she said honestly, touching him briefly on the back of the hand as (unbeknownst to Keitaro) Kitsune had suggested.

Keitaro shifted in his seat, uncomfortably aware that if either of them were to move a mere six inches, their lips would meet. _And when did she get that shirt?_ he thought suddenly. _I can see right down-_

He cut this thought off, yanking his eyes away from where they had wandered and locking them onto the sketch once more.

Though Shinobu was nearly giddy from the Hinata manager's attention, she forced herself to contain it, reminding herself that Kitsune had told her that guys liked it when you played hard to get. She did not truly _want_ to play hard to get, but she trusted Kitsune's advice almost implicitly, believing – as more people in the Hinata Sou did than did not – that Kitsune had the experience to back her words up.

Straightening, Shinobu walked back to the stove, putting a pan on the left backburner and getting the ingredients out to make hot chocolate. "Where's Motoko-sempai?"

"She's out shopping with Naru," Keitaro replied. "Since all the chores were caught up, she had no reason to stick around."

Shinobu glanced over her shoulder. "I thought she said she was going to follow your every move, or something?"

Shrugging, Keitaro mumbled, "I guess sketching doesn't count as moving."

"But it's good that she's doing this, right?" Shinobu said thoughtfully, turning around to lean against the counter as she added the last few ingredients. "You get your chores done twice as fast so you get to do something you enjoy, and she gets some time to spend with Naru-sempai."

"I guess you can look at it that way," Keitaro admitted. "I just… sometimes I feel useless around here. She's faster at everything, so when she's done, she moves on and finishes my part too, leaving me with nothing to do but… sit around and sketch."

Shinobu tilted her head. "You're not useless," she said softly. "We rely on you, sempai. None of us can keep this place running – we tried, remember? Maybe you should just enjoy it."

_That's the second bit of advice I've gotten this week,_ Keitaro thought suddenly. _Be more like Naru, and enjoy being a slacker. Funny – the way I see it, if I took both of their advice, I'd be practicing Tai Chi while punching holes in the wall…_

"There's an art exhibit coming up at school this Saturday night," Shinobu murmured, turning to the stove and stirring the pan as she let this sink in. "I've invited everyone else to go… would you like to come too?"

Keitaro considered the offer. _Everyone else is going,_ he thought reasonably. _And with Motoko helping, I should have all the chores done pretty early…_

"Sure."

Smiling to herself, Shinobu mouthed, 'Perfect.'

( 0 0 0 )

Motoko felt as if she was melting from pure boredom. "Are you trying on everything in the store?" she muttered. "Or perhaps we're biding our time until the next delivery truck arrives?"

"Oh, keep your shirt on," Naru retorted, turning to the side and pressing her hands against her stomach as she studied her reflection in the changing room mirror. "Gotta go jogging," she whispered, "I'm getting fat."

Rolling her eyes, Motoko replied, "If you're fat then I'm a monster. Don't talk about weight with someone who outweighs you by ten pounds, Naru."

Naru unclasped the bra she had been trying on. "Yeah, but you're all muscle," she said, letting the garment slide down her arms and looking for the next one to try. "I'll bet you could bench-press me."

"Well I could have," Motoko said dryly, "before you got so fat, I mean."

"Ooo and the gloves come off," Naru snorted. "Following your 'sensei' around all day is disagreeing with you, Motoko – puts you in a bad mood. Maybe you should give it up."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a reply."

Clapping her hands sharply together, Naru said, "Suit yourself. Ok, now it's your turn."

"My turn for what?" Motoko wondered.

Naru retrieved her own bra from the bench next to Motoko. "Don't be a dip," she muttered, "you said you needed more bras… that's why we came here."

Motoko looked down at the small mountain of undergarments Naru had amassed. "None of these would fit me," she observed. "They're all too small."

"Too _small_?" Naru exclaimed incredulously. "Come on – you're like, what, a B cup?" Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes. "You're wearing bindings right now, aren't you?"

Folding her arms, Motoko sniffed, "That's none of your business."

"You are!"

Motoko flushed. "And so what if I am?" she snapped. "Just because I've given up the blade doesn't mean I've given up everything about my lifestyle, you know. I still work out when I can, and to do that, I have to be bound."

Naru finished snapping her bra, then abruptly leaned down and put a hand on either side of Motoko's head, effectively boxing her in.

"Let's see 'em."

"I _beg_ your pardon?"

"Come on," Naru needled. "It's just us girls here, what's the big deal? You always cover up with a towel in the hot springs, so no one's ever had a good look at you. I trade bras with Kitsune, so I know _she_ wears my size – and Shinobu doesn't even really _need_ one… but you," she clucked her tongue. "I've never had a good look at yours."

Motoko blushed furiously. "Because it's none of your business," she said angrily. "Move, I'm leaving."

"Oh, just show me," Naru grinned. "Don't make me tickle you."

"Tickle?" Motoko muttered, eyeing the other girl suspiciously. "Have you been drinking Kitsune's sake?"

Smiling from ear to ear, Naru lifted her hand, holding it menacingly in front of Motoko's face. "Tickle, tickle, tickle," she chanted, inching closer and closer to Motoko's ribs. "Don't be such a dork – it's not like I'm gonna take pictures and sell them on the internet, I just wanna see."

"Well I don't want you to!" Motoko huffed, trying to push the other girl away, but finding it impossible without putting her hand somewhere it oughtn't to go. "Get away!"

"Come on, just a peek."

"No!"

"I won't tell anyone!"

"Damn it, Naru, I said no!"

"Why are you being such a freak about this? I just want to compare-"

"I _said no!_"

Naru gasped as Motoko abruptly shoved her back against the wall, nearly knocking her down as she threw the dressing room door open and dashed out into the store.

"What the… hell was that…?" Naru groaned, quickly covering her chest as several curious shoppers glanced in. "Do you _mind?_"

( 0 0 0 )

Kitsune glanced up from the magazine she was reading as Motoko stomped past her door, the expression on her face clearly indicating that she was looking to hurt someone. "Whoa there," Kitsune called. "Motoko, c'mere… what's with the badittude?"

After a moment of quiet, Motoko appeared at Kitsune's door. "Sorry if I disturbed you," she said stiffly, "but if you'll excuse me, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Eh, don't be so uptight," Kitsune recommended, holding up the plastic tumbler in her free hand. "Buy you a drink?"

Motoko frowned. "You know I don't drink."

Grinning broadly, Kitsune replied, "Maybe you should start. Seriously, though… come on in, take a load off. There's something I wanted to talk to you about, anyway."

Slowly, Motoko entered the room. "What did you need?" she asked, taking a seat on the floor so she was not towering over the other girl.

"Just need to know why you're stomping around," Kitsune said brightly, setting her magazine aside and taking a small sip of her drink.

"Didn't I just say I didn't want to talk about it?" Motoko asked incredulously. "You're unbelievable!"

Kitsune winked. "Thank you. Hey, don't get all touchy," she said as the swordsman started for the door. "I'm your friend, you know… I might not spend as much time with you as Naru, but-"

Motoko growled. "Don't mention that name right now," she muttered as Kitsune stared at her. "I have… issues with her."

"Ahh so that's it," Kitsune said knowledgably. "What happened between you guys? Two hours ago you guys were the best of pals, just heading out to do a little bra shopping. What did she do, pop your brastrap in the food court or something?"

"No," Motoko said, "she just doesn't know when enough's enough, that's all."

Kitsune arched an eyebrow and took another sip of her drink. "Intriguing," she murmured. "But then again, that's not really a revelation, is it? Everyone knows that Naru doesn't know when to quit. What did she do, though? I'm sure she didn't mean to piss you off, whatever it is."

"She-"

"Go on," Kitsune coaxed as the other girl cut herself off. "Keitaro and Shinobu are in the kitchen and Su's down in her room… no one will hear you."

Reluctantly, Motoko gave a quick outline of what had happened in the dressing room. "And I told her I didn't want to," she concluded, "but she kept pushing it, so I got mad and left." She folded her arms self-consciously over her chest, sniffing as she concluded, "Honestly, they're _my_ breasts… I don't have to show her if I don't want to."

Shrugging, Kitsune replied, "Personally, I think you're both right, and both wrong. On the one hand, it really isn't that big a deal… I mean, she has the same equipment, and it's not like she was drooling on your chest or asking you to turn lesbian for her." She paused for a moment. "Was she?"

"No!" Motoko exclaimed, "She's not like that… and before you ask, no, _I'm_ not like that either!"

Disappointed that she had not been able to crack wise about this, Kitsune said, "On the other hand, she shouldn't have kept pushing if it was bothering you and just let it drop when you said you didn't want her to see."

Motoko threw her hands in the air. "Thank you," she said with some satisfaction, "Finally – a voice of reason."

"Just out of curiosity, though," Kitsune said casually, "what _is_ the big deal?"

Averting her eyes, Motoko replied, "I just don't like anyone looking at my body, ok?"

"Oh," Kitsune yawned, "because you're so much bigger than the rest of us?"

Motoko went dead white. "How can you say that to me?" she whispered hoarsely. "It's not my fault – I have to work out a lot."

Kitsune shook her head. "I'm not saying it's bad, Motoko," she said bluntly. "You're in great shape. I wish I had your abs."

"But not the rest of me," Motoko whispered, her face flushing as she tried to rise to her feet. "The huge arms, the legs – it's freakish, why don't you just say it?"

Catching her hand, Kitsune murmured, "That's not what I meant and you know it. Any of us here would kill to look like you. So you're a little more muscular and taller, big deal, you-"

"I'm a giraffe!" Motoko exploded. "I'm huge, and intimidating… that's what you mean, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kitsune said unexpectedly. "You're immense – like 747 coming in for a goddamn landing! You've got huge boobs, legs that go on forever, long, flowing hair, and a fantastic smile. Yeah, Motoko, we all think you're just hideous! Forget the fact that you make guys run into telephone poles and fight over who gets the _privilege _of holding the door for you in stores, they're all doing it to mock your ugly ass. Good _god,_ get the hell over yourself!"

The two glared at each other for well over a minute, neither willing to back down.

Finally, Kitsune yanked the other girl off of her feet, catching her completely off guard and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Open your damn eyes," Kitsune whispered seriously, cutting into Motoko's shocked exclamation. "And for God's sake, have a drink! You're the tensest person I've ever freakin' met!"

After a moment of stiff resistance, Motoko slowly relaxed. "I may be tense, but at least I'm stable," she muttered, allowing the other girl to hug her.

"Here," Kitsune said softly, pressing her cup into Motoko's hand. "You need this more than I do."

Reluctantly taking the drink, Motoko murmured, "Maybe… just one…"

( 0 0 0 )

Dinner was uncomfortably quiet. Keitaro kept looking around at all other residents of the Hinata, but for the life of him, he could not figure what was going on. Kitsune was busily eating, so her mouth was occupied for the time. Shinobu was always quiet when she ate, unless someone was talking to her, and Su had scarfed down her food in approximately forty-five seconds before scurrying off to her room to build some harebrained contraption or another.

But Naru and Motoko almost always made conversation at the table, so seeing them sitting in absolute silence was a bit unnerving – and Motoko kept rubbing her head as if she had a mild hangover, an idea so absurd that Keitaro nearly laughed out loud.

"So," he said hesitantly, "did you guys buy anything good while you were out?"

Naru abruptly pushed her plate back. "I'm done," she said with a cool look at Motoko. "I'm going to study. Thanks for dinner, Shinobu."

Before Keitaro could say a word, Naru strode out of the room, watching Motoko until she reached the door as if expecting her to attack at any time.

After she was gone, Kitsune said, "Hey, pass me her leftovers."

"Hungry, Kitsune?" Motoko asked, glancing significantly at the gray haired girl's empty plate.

"Can't help it," Kitsune said, winking at Shinobu. "My little sweetheart here makes it so good I have to go back for seconds."

"Or," Sarah offered helpfully, "you could be pregnant."

Kitsune gave a wolfish grin. "Now Sarah," she said playfully, glancing significantly at Motoko, "you know a girl can't get another girl pregnant."

"Ugh, charming," Motoko said wrinkling her nose in distaste. "I hope you're not implying that I'm your partner, because quite honestly, you're not my type."

"You're not mine either," Kitsune said dryly, "I like the shy, quiet types – and I only go for girls that cook great food… isn't that right, darling?"

"K-Kitsune-sempai!" Shinobu gasped, bowing her head as a brilliant blush spread over her cheeks.

Keitaro scooped a bite of food into his mouth, but nearly choked on it as Shinobu uttered a soft whisper.

"…you weren't supposed to tell."

Kitsune let out a wicked cackle as Motoko fumbled her chopsticks. "Perfect," she said gleefully, giving Shinobu an over-the-table high five.

"Super," Motoko said, pushing her plate away as she glowered at Kitsune, "now you're corrupting poor little Shinobu? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I'm not… little."

Motoko glanced at Shinobu. "Hm? What was that?"

Shinobu cleared her throat. "I said I'm not little," she murmured nervously. "I'd… I'd like it if you stopped saying things like that, Sempai. I'm fourteen years old now, so… I'd really like you to start treating me like you treat Naru-sempai and Kitsune-sempai."

"You tell her, Shinobu."

Shooting a dark look at Kitsune, Motoko grumbled, "You stay out of this. Alright, Shinobu," she said evenly, turning her eyes on the younger girl. "If you want to be treated like everyone else… you'll be treated like everyone else." So saying, she turned to Keitaro. "Do you have any objections to Shinobu cleaning the second floor hallways?"

Keitaro looked uncomfortable. "Well, she's umm… already doing most of the laundry – and cooking like, every meal… she's got a lot of chores alre-"

"But she wants to be treated like everyone else," Motoko cut in sharply, clearly more angry with Kitsune for supporting Shinobu than at Shinobu herself. "If she wants to be seen as an adult, she can do an adult's work… wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, I guess, but-"

"So it's decided."

Motoko pushed her chair away from the table.

"Starting tomorrow, the second floor is all yours."

"H-hey," Keitaro protested, "Motoko, you-"

"Alright."

Keitaro was about to say something more, but before he could speak, Kitsune gently laid a hand on his forearm, shaking her head as he turned to look at her and mouthing, 'Let it go.'

Sighing, he looked back to where Motoko and Shinobu were staring at each other, neither willing to be the first to break eye-contact. "If you think you can handle it," he said quietly, "we wouldn't mind the extra help."

Shinobu nodded, keeping her eyes on Motoko as she replied, "I won't let you down, Sempai."

With a snort, Motoko picked up her dish and put it in the sink. "I'm going to my room, sensei," she said coolly, "unless there's anything else you need me to do."

When Keitaro said that he couldn't think of anything, the swordsman left without another word.

"Woo-hoo!" Kitsune declared, slapping her palm on the table and making the others jump. "That's my girl!"

Shinobu, who had been sitting rigidly upright in her seat, sagged against the table with a heartfelt sigh of relief. "Thanks, Sempai," she said weakly. "I promise I won't let you down."

Feeling that he had missed something, Keitaro said, "I know you won't, Shinobu… I trust you."

The smile that Shinobu gave him for this comment was nothing short of radiant.

( 0 0 0 )

"Sensei… may I speak with you?"

Motoko waited outside of Keitaro's room for several moments before a quiet, "Umm, sure," answered her hesitant question.

Pushing his door open, she stepped in. "I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, noting that the young man was under his covers.

"Nah," Keitaro replied, shaking his head for emphasis. "I was just working on a sketch and got cold, that's all."

"Ah."

"There was… something you wanted to talk to me about?" Keitaro prompted as the girl simply stood looking down at him for a few moments without saying a word.

Reluctantly, Motoko said, "Yes. I believe I may have spoken too harshly to Shinobu."

_No, really? _

Keeping this thought to himself, Keitaro sat up on his futon. "Then you probably got the wrong room," he suggested. "I mean, that's something you probably want to tell _her_ isn't it?"

"I can't."

"…oh."

"I want to," Motoko said quietly, "but I can't."

Frowning, Keitaro wondered, "Why not?"

Keeping her eyes averted, Motoko mumbled, "I see you're taking good care of my blade. Thank you."

Keitaro followed her line of sight. "Oh, yeah," he said, "I thought it would look better on a sword stand… and Kitsune is the one who suggested putting the rose in a little vase next to it – you know, kind of a juxtaposition thing."

"Mm."

When the swordsman said nothing more, Keitaro murmured, "Was there anything else? Did you maybe… wanna hold it for a minute?"

Motoko's right hand twitched. "No," she said coolly. "Giving it up for a year means truly giving it up. I would need to start over if I touched it now."

Nodding, Keitaro said, "Well is there anything I need to do to it? Polish it or something?"

"If… it would not be too much trouble," Motoko said slowly, "I have some choji oil and uchiko powder in my room. I oiled it a few weeks ago, but if you could oil and polish it every month or so, I would appreciate it."

"You really care about your blade, don't you?" Keitaro noted.

Motoko met his gaze. "It isn't my blade," she said softly. "A true samurai does not own a blade, she is simply its custodian, preserving it for her family's honor and asking its protection every time it is drawn."

Looking a bit green, the young man murmured, "And you're really ok with giving it to me for a year?"

"No, Keitaro," Motoko said flatly, "I'm not. I hate every second it's away from me, and I pray every night before I go to bed that you won't do something stupid like swing it around over your head or try to draw in and cut your fingers off." She drew a calming breath. "But I will not waver. I cannot waver. I have pledged myself to a year in your service, and I will not fail to live up to my end of the arrangement."

Keitaro found that he could not meet her intense gaze. "…even though you're not getting anything out of it," he whispered.

Motoko said nothing.

"Are you allowed to show my how to polish it and stuff?"

"No," Motoko said quietly. "I cannot touch it. That is the rule… but if you are willing, I can tell you everything you need to know about how to take care of it."

Nodding vigorously, Keitaro said, "Can you show me now? And then remind me in like, a week or two, to make sure I haven't forgotten?" Smiling weakly, he added, "I think… I finally understand how important it is to you, and I… I don't want you to be unhappy if I do anything stupid with it."

Motoko looked quite grateful.

"Wait right here."

For the next three hours, Motoko painstakingly described a tenth of what she knew about swords and sword care. Detailing everything she knew would have taken substantially longer, but she gave Keitaro enough information to enable him to effectively care for her blade. Keitaro took notes, listening attentively to everything Motoko had to say and drawing a few quick sketches of the key pieces he was to pay the most attention to when cleaning and oiling the weapon.

He dared not unsheathe it, telling Motoko bluntly that when it came time to work on it, she would have to be there with him or he would never have the nerve to do it.

When she had told him everything she could think of, Motoko joined Keitaro in silently gazing at the blade's scabbard, taking in every nuance of it fine scrollwork etching and feeling a pang of guilt so strong it nearly made her shudder.

_I'm sorry,_ she thought, resisting the urge to reach out and seize the blade once more. _When we are reunited… I will never let you go again._

She stayed where she was for another twenty minutes before excusing herself to go to bed, though she was so absorbed in thoughts of her eventual reunion with her blade that she barely noticed Keitaro drawing her profile… and she never saw the soft, slightly wistful smile that graced his lips as he worked, so carefully, to capture her on paper.

Continued…

Author's notes: many of the thoughts and ideas on swords for this chapter came from a page on everything2 dot com, including the use of choji oil and uchiko powder and Motoko's comments on how a samurai feels about his blade. I can't give a direct link on fanfiction dot net, since they strip out hyperlinks. Sorry.

Pre-read on this chapter was by Hawker-748, who is having a devil of a time helping me keep everyone in character. Sorry, man… I just don't have the experience you do.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 4

By Random1377

Sitting perfectly still on the tatami mat in her room, Motoko appeared to be completely at peace. Her smooth, unhurried breathing betrayed nothing of her inner turmoil. It was not that she had anything particularly to be worried about – quite the opposite, actually, as she had no true concerns since becoming Keitaro's kohei.

And that, really, was the problem.

_Bad enough that I have to give up the blade,_ she thought, keeping her breathing deep and even, _but it has been weeks… and I've learned nothing so far._

Truthfully, it had only been a week and a half, but it felt much longer to Motoko. Even on a Saturday, when she would normally be practicing, she found herself with nothing to do. All of the chores had been finished earlier than usual – since Shinobu had proved to be quite quick in working on the second floor – and her studies were all up to date, leaving Motoko with an overabundance of free time.

_I should have gone to the exhibit with Shinobu and the others,_ she lamented. _Then I would have at least had something to look at._

She opened her eyes as someone tapped on her door.

"Knock, knock."

Motoko frowned faintly, pursing her lips as Naru slid her door open without waiting for a reply and leaned up against the doorframe, assessing her with guarded eyes as she held out two glasses in front of her.

"Truce?"

"Is that champagne?" Motoko wondered, skeptically eying the bottle in Naru's other hand.

Arching an eyebrow, Naru replied, "Sparkling apple juice, actually."

"I see."

"So can I come in or what?"

Motoko reluctantly nodded.

"Try to contain your excitement," Naru muttered, walking to where Motoko was kneeling and setting the glasses down between them. "Where's Keitaro?"

"He went to the art exhibit," Motoko replied. "I chose to stay home."

Naru nodded, popping the top from the bottle and filling both glasses as she murmured, "Yeah, me too. High school art holds less than no appeal for me."

"Sadly, Keitaro does not share that opinion."

Setting the bottle to the side, Naru picked up her glass. "Kanpai."

After a few experimental sips, Motoko said, "Mm very tasty. So did Kitsune go with, then? I know Shinobu asked everyone."

"Nah," Naru said dismissively. "Kitsune and art go together like oil and water. The only reason she'd go is to hit on guys. Last time I saw her, she was outside hanging laundry."

"Really?" Motoko replied, looking a bit surprised.

Naru took another sip before replying, "Uh huh. I guess Shinobu asked her to help out so she could go buy a dress."

"A dress?" Motoko echoed. "For a high school art exhibit?"

Laughing, Naru said, "No – it wasn't for tonight."

"Then why was it so important that she buy it today?"

"I dunno," Naru shrugged, "but she was wearing a skirt when they left."

"Mm…"

For a moment, neither spoke. Naru slowly ran her finger around the rim of her glass, making it sing softly as she whispered, "I'm sorry about the store."

Motoko had thought about how she would respond to this statement since the night of the incident itself, so her voice was perfectly smooth and even as she replied, "It's nothing to worry about. Please forget it."

Naru rolled her eyes. "That was sincere."

The two fell silent once more, staring at each other without blinking until Naru broke the silence by running her finger around the rim of her glass again.

"So," she said with a casual smile, "if you didn't go, and I didn't go, and Kitsune didn't go… does that make it a date?"

Motoko gave her a sharp look. "Well," she said slowly, "Su was going to go… and so was Mutsumi, so-"

"Su's in the basement working on some monstrosity or another," Naru cut in, her smile suddenly falling away as realization hit. "And I talked to Mutsumi earlier. She said she was going shopping. It's just-"

"The two of them," Motoko finished for her. "Naru… I think maybe we should go check on them."

Naru thought about it for a moment. "You're not… seriously thinking that Shinobu, of all people, is plotting to seduce Keitaro… do you?"

"Yes, absolutely," Motoko said bluntly. "She told me a few days ago that she loves him – which we all knew, of course… but she seemed, I don't know, more serious about it than before."

No longer smiling, Naru murmured, "Keitaro would never let anything happen with her."

Motoko stood up. "Oh?" she asked. "The girl that openly worships him, finally coming clean and throwing herself at him, and you think he'll be able to control himself?"

Naru lifted her glass, draining its contents before rising to her feet and mumbling, "I'll get my shoes."

( 0 0 0 )

"Come on, Sempai – you'll love this one!"

Keitaro smiled as Shinobu tugged him through the crowed school auditorium. In spite of the shockingly bad imitation Chagalls and wannabe Renoirs, he found that he was actually having a pretty good time. Shinobu's enthusiasm was contagious, and whenever there was a passable piece of art, she waved down the artist and introduced him or her to Keitaro.

Of course, Shinobu barely knew any of these people, considering how reclusive she was at school, so many of them were shocked to see her being so open and bold about approaching them, but none of them ever showed their amazement, so Keitaro never had a clue that anything was out of the ordinary.

Nor did he notice that every time Shinobu pulled him along to a new piece, she held his hand just a little bit longer, getting him so used to the feel of her hand in his that when she did not let go one time, he thought nothing of it.

"See?" Shinobu said gleefully, "Doesn't Hanada-san do a great Hopper?"

Keitaro nodded, impressed in spite of himself as he gazed up at a proudly displayed reproduction of one of his favorite paintings, titled Nighthawks. The colors were not as vivid as in the original, but the artist had managed to reproduce most of the feel of the piece, with less than two dozen flaws that Keitaro could see – a feat he himself could not have accomplished on his best day.

Oils were not his favorite, after all.

"It's really good," he said, looking around for the artist. "Do you know him too?"

Shinobu's smile remained in place, but she shook her head, leading Keitaro away before he could figure out that Hanada was actually a very pretty girl. "No, I've never met him," she lied. "Come on, Sempai… let's keep moving."

They stayed at the exhibit for nearly two hours before Shinobu suddenly asked if Keitaro was as hungry as she was.

"Yeah," he admitted, scratching his neck in embarrassment as his stomach growled at the mere mention of food. "All this walking around kind makes me feel empty."

"I know a great little restaurant that's not too far from here," Shinobu offered, consciously keeping her tone very, very casual. "They make great milkshakes."

Keitaro's stomach growled loudly.

He hadn't had a good milkshake for a long time.

"That sounds really good," he said honestly.

"Then let's go!"

Shinobu led him from the school, giddy that she had been holding his hand for nearly twenty minutes. She felt a little guilty about her tactics, since she had deliberately served a very light dinner and she had neglected to mention that it was actually a multi-school festival, involving seven different institutions and all of their art students, but she felt that she needed every advantage she could get.

She did not have the assets that the other girls had – up top, or in the age category – so if she was going to have any chance with Keitaro, it would take every ounce of her ability and guile… two skills she felt quite lacking in.

_And don't rush it,_ she thought, imagining that it was Kitsune's voice in her head. _Make it friendly at first, like she said, and don't push too hard. Tonight isn't even supposed to be a date, so just keep cool… keep cool and remember to see if he's doing anything NEXT Saturday._

With all of these thoughts in mind, Shinobu's steps were light as they headed to the little diner with the great shakes. She was in such good spirits that when Keitaro abruptly realized that he was holding her hand and blushingly pulled away, she only smiled and pretended that she did not notice.

Rome, after all, was not built in a day.

( 0 0 0 )

"Do you see them anywhere?"

Motoko peered around a large, rather gauche replica of Rodin's 'Thinker' and scanned the crowd carefully. "No, I lost them."

"Damn it," Naru cursed, barely resisting the urge to bash the bad fake with her fist. "They could be anywhere – and did you see how he was holding her hand? Right in front of everyone? You should have let me pound him right there."

"Believe me, I wanted to," Motoko murmured, searching for signs of their errant housemates. "But I _do_ still have an obligation to him as a sensei, you know… and besides, I didn't want to make a scene."

"Obligation?" Naru asked, arching an eyebrow. "Watching you clean up the place, it seems more like a treat."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're not 'suffering' as much as you want us to believe – and don't give me that look. You never complain unless he can hear you."

Motoko's jaw fell open. "Are you implying that I'm enjoying this?"

Folding her arms over her chest, Naru replied, "I'm not just implying it, Motoko, I'm saying it flat out."

"How dare you?" Motoko said angrily. "Because I'm making due does not mean I am enjoying this… this servitude! I'd just as soon-"

"I thought you didn't want to make a scene."

Both girls jumped as a third voice cut into their conversation.

Kitsune leaned casually against the bad sculpture, smiling brightly as the two gaped at her with open shock.

"Hiiii!"

"When did you get here?" Naru blurted.

"Oh, an hour ago," Kitsune said dismissively, "same as you. I followed you guys when you left home."

Motoko pursed her lips. "Unlikely," she said suspiciously. "I've lived with you long enough to know how you move. I would have felt your presence."

Kitsune grinned. "You ain't feeling my presence – or any other part of me – unless I say so," she said with a wink. "But I might not have had the same 'presence' as you put it, because I brought a friend."

So saying, she reached into her shirt and pulled out-

"T-tama-chan?" Naru stammered.

Motoko squawked, stumbling backward a step and raising her hands defensively as Kitsune shoved the turtle toward her face.

"Like Aoyama Kryptonite," the gray-haired girl said with some satisfaction, putting the turtle on her head and giving the shaken Motoko a broad smile. "So… what'cha guys doin'?"

"If you've been following us this whole time, you know very well what we're doing," Naru said, completely unfazed by Tama's jovial wave… though at her side, Motoko quailed and tried to hide. "God, pull it together," she muttered, "you're embarrassing yourself."

Kitsune stuck a finger triumphantly in the air. "Ah-ha!" she exclaimed, sounding like a bad Sherlock Holmes impersonator. "So you admit that you're stalking them! But the question is why!"

"To make sure Keitaro doesn't do anything inappropriate, of course," Motoko mumbled from somewhere behind Naru. "You know how lecherous he is."

"Boy do I," Kitsune hummed suggestively. "Soft hands, though. And that ton-"

"Can't you be serious for like, two seconds?" Naru cut in angrily.

"Nope," the fox-girl said brightly. "I tried it once, but my boyfriend kicked me out of bed – said seriousness kills the mood."

Motoko tugged on Naru's arm. "This isn't getting us anywhere," she muttered. "Come on, maybe we can still find them."

"Mm," Kitsune mused, "maybe you can… but you still haven't answered my question."

"Yes we have," Naru said bluntly. "You asked why we're here, we said to protect Shinobu. Case closed."

"Oh, but that wasn't the question."

Kitsune tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully as the two other girls finally gave her their full attention.

"Now I seem to recall Shinobu asking to be treated like an adult," Kitsune said thoughtfully. "And from what I heard, she invited him out tonight, right?"

"Well, that's true," Motoko admitted reluctantly, "but who knows what Keitaro might do when he gets her alone?"

Smiling indulgently, Kitsune said, "Whatever it is, I'm sure she wouldn't say no… since she's the one that wants to be alone with him."

"No she doesn't," Naru countered immediately, "or she wouldn't have invited me!"

"Or me," Motoko jumped in. "Your argument is sounding very thin, Kitsune, and you're wasting our time by keeping us here."

But Kitsune wasn't finished.

"Invited you… when she knew you're getting tired of seeing Keitaro all day?" Kitsune offered smoothly. "And you… on the one night you do nothing but study?"

Naru looked pale. "But she invited Mutsumi… and Su… and…"

Kitsune looked downright amused. "Mutsumi, who can't remember to put her own name on a test, and Su, who knows Shinobu well enough to make up an excuse when she knows she would be the only thing standing between Shinobu and a nice, quiet date with the man she loves?"

"And you…" Motoko said suddenly. "She invited you too…"

The smile on Kitsune's face was almost pitying as she whispered, "And if her careful plans were figured out, who do you think would keep you two in check?"

"You're in on this!" Naru gasped, leveling a finger at Kitsune. "You're not just guessing all this stuff – you _know_ it! You _HELPED _her with it!"

Kitsune's grin widened until it was all tooth.

"Ya think?"

As one, Motoko and Naru turned to storm off, but Kitsune grabbed their arms, yanking them close to her as she whispered, "Leave them alone. You promised Shinobu you'd treat her like an adult, and I'm here to make damn sure you live up to your end of the deal – and don't give me that crap about Keitaro being a horny pedophile. He's never deliberately touched her once, or either one of you, if we're laying it all on the table."

Motoko and Naru both opened their mouths, but Kitsune suddenly leaned closer.

"Unless the real problem here is that you _want_ him to, and you're jealous that she had the guts to do something about it instead of just waiting around and hoping he'll figure out that you like him."

Naru's teeth ground together so hard that Motoko was sure she was going to crack a molar. "And what about you, Kitsune?"

"What about me?" Kitsune said cheerfully. "I'm just a friendly, helpful-"

"You're not in school," Naru cut in sharply, "you don't work… and whenever Keitaro's in the house, you 'conveniently' happen to be just a little tipsy, so no one questions why you're always brushing up against him or leaning on his back."

Kitsune laughed. "Oh, now you're just grasping at straws," she said merrily. "Don't project your own repressed desires on me, because-"

"Because you've got enough repressed desires for the whole house."

With that, Naru yanked her arm free, pulling Motoko into the crowd and leaving Kitsune shaking her head.

"What do you think, buddy?" the gray-haired girl asked, rapping the Rodin in the temple. "Freud would have a field day with those two, huh?" Abruptly, she noticed that a boy of about twelve was staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What?" Kitsune said defensively, "Can't a girl talk to her boyfriend in peace?"

Moving away from the sculpture as the boy hurried off into the crowd, Kitsune shook her head. _Those two kill me,_ she thought with some amusement. _Next they'll be telling me that Keitaro's gonna marry Motoko and take over her dojo._

( 0 0 0 )

Keitaro had done something wrong. He wasn't sure what, exactly, or when, but he had definitely stepped on some toes at the Hinata. Nothing was said _to_ him, of course, but Naru was giving him more cold shoulder than usual, and Motoko's fingers were always curling and uncurling at her side – exactly where her sword should have been.

The only people who did not seem to be angry with him were Shinobu, who (other than always being underfoot) treated him the same as always, and Kitsune… who seemed to know exactly what was going on, and thought it side-splittingly funny.

He didn't consider Su in the equation, since she didn't ever really have any changes in mood, and Sarah had gone out on an expedition with Seta so she was not even around, though Keitaro was sure that if she was there, she would be giving him the evil eye every chance she got. Not that this was unusual, but there was only so much negative energy Keitaro could absorb.

"You're going out _again_?"

A week had passed since his pleasantly low-key evening with Shinobu, quietly bringing Saturday back around, and – somehow – focusing Naru's wrath squarely on him.

"Wh-what?" Keitaro stammered. "It's just a play. You were invited too, you know, but you didn't want to go."

"I have a test to study for!" Naru complained. "You know I've been stressing about it for two weeks – there's no way I could go out two days before the test!"

_How is that my fault?_ Keitaro thought desperately.

Instead of asking this, he simply replied, "But I didn't even know about the play until last week!"

"Yeah," Naru shot back, "and you kept it to yourself."

"Heh," Keitaro laughed awkwardly. "Actually… I forgot until Shinobu reminded me just now."

"…right."

"Naru, are you being mean to my KeiKei?"

Naru glared as Kitsune draped her arms over Keitaro's shoulders. "I don't suppose you're going to the play with Keitaro and Shinobu later, are you?"

"A play?" Kitsune exclaimed. "Why, I love plays! But I'm afraid I have to pass… I got a job interview tonight."

"You do?" Keitaro asked, trying unsuccessfully to turn and face the gray-haired girl. "Congratulations!"

"Well, my savings are getting a little low again," Kitsune drawled, "it's been a few months since my last job, after all. Time to start stocking up again."

Kitsune, as Keitaro had learned, was something of a job-hopper. She would work at one job for a few months, picking up as many extra hours as possible and saving every penny that did not go towards rent, and then she would quit and coast along for a few months on what she had earned, drinking and slothing around until the money ran out.

Admittedly, there was a certain appeal to such a lifestyle, but the other residents all felt the need to have something to look forward to, and silently agreed that Kitsune's freewheeling would, someday, come back to bite her on the ass.

"It's not that great," Kitsune said, breaking the thoughtful silence that had fallen. "If I get it, I'll be a clerk at the video store downtown." She winked at Naru, pulling Keitaro a bit closer. "You should stop by sometime," she said teasingly, "just make sure you get there before any… younger renters beat you to it – you never know when they're going to get their hands on something you want before you even admit that you want it."

Naru's lips peeled back from her teeth. "Watch it, Kitsune."

Keitaro, sensing an air of impending doom, said, "I think I hear Motoko calling me – talk to you guys later."

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled away from Kitsune and hurried up to the second floor, putting a hand over his heart and taking a deep breath to see if he could get it to stop racing as he leaned up against the wall.

"Sempai?"

"Hmm?"

"You're standing on my broom."

Keitaro blinked, looking down to find that he was, in fact, standing on the edge of a big push broom. Glancing up, he found Shinobu standing to one side, smiling faintly as she retied the kerchief keeping the hair out of her eyes.

_Must have stopped to get a drink,_ he thought, stepping off of the broom. _She looks really sweaty._

"Are you… doing ok?"

Shinobu nodded. "Uh huh!" she said emphatically, grabbing the handle of the broom and leaning it up against her shoulder. "Can't stop to talk, though – lots to do before the play!"

Tentatively, Keitaro caught her arm as she started to leave. "Shinobu, you don't have to do this."

"What do you mean, Sempai?" Shinobu wondered. "The second floor is my job."

"But it shouldn't be," Keitaro said evenly. "Look, just… you don't have to do it anymore, ok? I'll-"

"No."

"Huh?"

"I said no," Shinobu said, wiping a bit of sweat off of her face and lowering her gaze. "I agreed I'd take the second floor… so I will."

"But you don't have to! Motoko was… look, Motoko was just worked up when she said that. You don't have to keep doing this much work – it isn't fair."

Shinobu blushed, lacing her hands together to keep them from fidgeting. "You're worried about me…?"

"Well, yeah," Keitaro blurted. "You're trying to do too much. You're going to end up with a fever again."

Though she hid it very well, Shinobu felt as if a spotlight had just been turned on inside of her soul. _He really does care about me,_ she thought, feeling a bit weak in the knees. _God he's so perfect!_

"I'll be ok, Sempai," she said, gently laying her hand on his forearm and gazing earnestly up into his eyes. "But if you're worried about me… you could umm… t-take me out for ice cream, or, or something before the play so I could maybe cool down a little."

"Sure," Keitaro said quickly. "Sure, I'll do it."

Briefly squeezing his arm, Shinobu stepped back, not wanting to overdo it. "Then let's leave around four instead. Motoko and Su can meet us there."

Looking relieved, Keitaro nodded. "Four it is."

As she turned away, Shinobu could not stop a huge, victorious smile from breaking out on her face. Positioning her broom for maximum coverage, she whispered, "Kanpai," and rushed to get the place swept as fast as she could.

Four o'clock was only two hours away, and if she wanted to take a shower and put on makeup, she would have to hurry. Rounding a corner, she picked up the pace, nearly laughing out loud as she imagined spending the two hours before the play alone with Keitaro, with his undivided attention on her, and no one trying to interrupt or cut into their private time.

"…kanpai."

Continued…

Author's notes: it's getting harder to write this story. There are so many threads in it that I'm constantly worried that I'm forgetting one, so I'm constantly going back to double-check and make sure everything's getting covered. Makes for slow writing.

Hawker-748 pre-read once more. Thanks man… hopefully I'm not making your head spin trying to keep everything straight.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 5

By Random1377

Kitsune was not in a very good mood. She had woken up stone sober, having only had a few drinks the night before, and found that sobriety was as lame as it ever was. _No cure for it, _she thought dismally, _can't make the scene if you don't have the green._

Now fully dressed, there was only one thing left to put on.

And she dreaded it like nothing else.

"Don't puke," she advised herself, slipping one arm into her brand new work vest, proudly emblazoned with her new employer's logo. "Don't puke, don't puke, don't… eww…"

She made a face as the gruesome, already-hated garment settled onto her shoulders.

_Bad enough that it's MAROON,_ she thought angrily, _but polyester, too?_ _Life is so unfair sometimes._

Shrugging to loosen the uncomfortably stiff fibers on the vest, Kitsune regarded herself in the mirror.

"You look like a monkey," she told her reflection. "Worse yet – you look like an upright, law abiding citizen." She let out a tired sigh. "…God, I hate upright, law abiding citizens."

Pulling one eyelid down, she stuck her tongue out.

"Meeeehhh!"

Feeling marginally better after this childish display, she stepped out of her room and closed the door, grinning suddenly as she spotted Keitaro wiping one of the windows that looked down over the front of the Hinata.

_Well, if it isn't my little KeiKei,_ she thought gleefully, _time to share the misery!_

Hey, she figured, as long as she had to be uncomfortable, why shouldn't everyone else?

"Keeeeiiiiitaro."

Keitaro let out a pleasantly helpless squeak and nearly put his fist through a pane of glass as Kitsune wrapped her arms around his chest and smooshed him up against the window he was trying to clean. "Ki-Kitsune," he stammered, the cheek that was not pressed against the glass turning visibly red as the gray-haired girl rubbed her whole body up against him. "G-good morning…"

"Good morning?" Kitsune pouted. "I haven't seen you _all_ weekend, Keitaro, you're always _so_ busy, and a little 'good morning' is all I get? Shame on you."

This, of course, was entirely untrue. She had seen him on Saturday morning, before the play, and on Sunday at breakfast and lunch. The fact that she had been out partying Saturday night and had spent the evening in her room feeling sorry for herself for having to go to work had no bearing on the current situation, as far as Kitsune was concerned.

"Well, what should I do?" Keitaro asked, sounding as if he wondered if he ever said the right thing.

_Repressed desires,_ she thought suddenly, remembering her conversation with Motoko and Naru a week before. _I'll show you idiots repressed desires. This is just… entertainment._

"Give me a hug."

Keitaro eyed her as best he could, what with his face mashed up against the cold windowpane. "Give you a hug?"

"Uh huh," Kitsune said brightly. "Friends hug all the time, and we're friends, right? So when you see me in the morning, give me a hug."

"Er… ok."

Pulling away to allow him maneuvering room, Kitsune held her arms out wide. "Lay it on me, KeiKei."

Tentatively, Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, nervously keeping several inches between their bodies.

"Gotcha!"

Keitaro's eyes bugged out as Kitsune put one hand on the back of his head and yanked it down into her cleavage, smothering him against her chest for several seconds before letting him go and stepping back with a delighted laugh.

"Now _that's_ how you start a Monday!" she declared, smirking as Keitaro adjusted his glasses and quickly turned back to the window to hide his crimson cheeks. "Tomorrow, we work on kissing!"

She laughed out loud as Keitaro fumbled the washcloth he was cleaning with and whipped around to face her. "Wh-what?"

"Kidding!"

Laughing out loud, Kitsune dropped the flustered manager a wink, then, impulsively, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, taking great pleasure in watching him put a hand on the wall for support as his knees threatened to give out.

"See you later, KeiKei," she said merrily. "Keep up the good work."

Still chuckling, she headed down the stairs, checking her pants pocket to make sure she had her keys and nearly running headlong into Shinobu.

"Oh, hey," she said brightly. "How's it-"

"What are you doing?"

Kitsune blinked. "Huh?"

Shinobu's hands were clenched into tiny fists at her sides. "I thought you were supporting me," she said tremulously. "What were you doing with Keitaro?"

"Oh, it's 'Keitaro' now, is it?" Kitsune asked, arching an eyebrow in amusement as she looked down at the clearly riled girl. "Couple of dates and he's your property, is that it?"

"Kitsune-sempai," Shinobu nearly whined, "you said you'd support me…"

Waving one hand, Kitsune said, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just messing with him. I-"

"Well don't."

Kitsune laughed out loud, reaching out and ruffling the girl's hair playfully. "Now, now," she teased, "don't go getting all worked up."

To her surprise, Shinobu pushed her hand away. "Don't do that," she said sharply. "I'm serious, Kitsune… don't get close to Keitaro anymore."

For a long, long moment, Kitsune simply stared at the younger girl. Then, slowly, she folded her arms over her chest and whispered, "And what will you do if I do it anyway?"

Shinobu's hands shook at her sides, and her eyes held a distinct glint of fear at Kitsune's words, but she was so frustrated that she could not manage to speak.

_Wow,_ Kitsune thought critically, _she's a little wildcat when she's pissed off._

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," she said dismissively. "I told you he's all yours, remember? And you really don't want me against you… do you?"

For a very long moment, Shinobu simply stared at her. Finally, she averted her eyes and forced her hands to unclench.

"_Please_ don't be close to him…?"

Smiling, Kitsune whispered, "Better. Now I've got to go to work, so why don't you run along and spend some time with your man before Motoko gets bored and decides that she wants _his_ sword to replace hers."

Predictably, the mention of anything sexual reduced Shinobu to a stammering, red-faced mess, and she nodded, scurrying off up the stairs with a barely mumbled, "Sorry."

"That kid," Kitsune chuckled to herself. "Honestly… why does everyone think I'm out to get that guy in the sack?"

Shrugging, she headed out to reenter the workplace, sighing mightily as she recalled that at the same time the day before, she was already sipping sake and thinking of new ways to needle Motoko about her 'service' to Keitaro.

_Well,_ she thought with a grin, _there's always the weekend._

( 0 0 0 )

"Do it slowly," Motoko said quietly. "Very, very slowly. Don't jerk it!"

"S-sorry!" Keitaro stammered, blinking sweat out of his eyes as he willed his hand to move slower. "I didn't know it would be this much work."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing right," Motoko said absently. "Ok, it looks like you've gotten all the uchiko powder off the blade. Now it's time for the choji oil."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Keitaro drew his hand away from the gleaming sword, setting the polishing cloth to the side and reaching back to grab the oil.

"Why does everything have to be so slow?" he wondered curiously, uncapping the oil and waiting for instructions on how to apply it.

He wasn't about to guess what came next in the cleaning and polishing process, lest he should make a mistake. Motoko's blade may have been shelved, but her tongue was as sharp as ever.

Motoko held up her hand, pointing to a long, thin scar running the length of her palm. "If you don't treat the blade with respect," she said flatly, explaining the need for caution, "it will reprimand you."

"R-right."

For several minutes, he said nothing, applying the oil to Motoko's blade and allowing it to seep in before wiping the excess away. Finally, the job was finished, and Keitaro could not resist the urge to hold the blade over his head, marveling at how the smooth steel caught the light.

"Carefully," Motoko said, quickly leaning forward to catch his wrist. "Carefully, sensei…"

"Sorry," Keitaro said sheepishly. "I couldn't help it… it just looked so gorgeous."

Motoko's cheeks tinged a pretty, glowing pink.

She cleared her throat, offering him the sheath as she whispered, "To complement a swordsman's blade is to complement the swordsman. Remember that the next time you feel like saying something that bold."

Keitaro blushed, carefully slipping the oiled blade into its sheath and setting it gently on its stand. "So," he said hesitantly, "same time next month?"

Keeping her eyes on the blade, Motoko nodded. "Yes," she said absently, "once a month."

After a moment of staring at her profile, Keitaro whispered, "I know I asked you before, Motoko… but if you want it back, just say the word."

Motoko pulled her eyes away from the blade. "Please stop offering that," she said bluntly. "It makes it harder to keep my mind on what I must do when you repeatedly try to give me an easy way out."

"Right, sorry…"

"It's hard enough as it is to sit idle and play housekeeper with you all day," Motoko said coolly. "I don't need constant reminders that this is not my true place."

Keitaro averted his eyes. "I said I was sorry," he mumbled. "It won't happen again."

"Good."

Rising to her feet, Motoko smoothed her skirt, glancing once more at her blade before starting towards the door.

"If there's nothing else you need, I am going to go to bed," she said evenly, stepping through the open door and turning to glance over her shoulder. "We-"

She cut herself off as she turned to find Shinobu standing just outside, holding a tray with two steaming mugs on it. "Sorry, Motoko-sempai," the younger girl said, "but I thought maybe you and Keitaro would like a drink."

Motoko pursed her lips. "No, thank you. Goodnight, Shinobu."

"Oh… night."

Moving off down the hall, Motoko shook her head. _As if I would sit in his room and sip tea with him – I was only there because-_

Motoko's thought cut off with an abrupt mental snap.

"No," she whispered, "it can't be…"

Turning on the spot, she walked – very quietly – back to Keitaro's room. Her brow drew down as she found the door closed and the sounds of soft, friendly conversation coming from within.

_How shameless!_ she thought incredulously. _Alone with a boy with the door shut after bedtime on a school night?_ _Next thing you know, they'll be announcing their engagement!_

Motoko raised her hand, determined to yank the door open and break up the happy little party within, but she hesitated, staring at the back of her fingers and imagining – quite unexpectedly – a simple gold band on the third. Keitaro had been engaged to _her_, if only briefly, and she had never really given much thought to finalizing that union, or at least, she would not admit that she had.

But if she had been truly serious about Keitaro at the time, how would she have reacted if someone had stood in her way?

_But Shinobu's so young,_ she thought, folding her arms and leaning against the wall next to Keitaro's door. _She can't know what she wants already, can she? I don't even know what I want, and I'm­…_

Motoko let the thought trail off.

Where had that come from? Of course she knew what she wanted! She had known from the moment she could swing a blade. When had she started to doubt her own resolve? The answer was obvious – it was all the time she was spending with her spineless 'sensei.'

_Honestly,_ she thought, finding it rather easy to redirect her anger towards Keitaro, _if he ever stood up for himself or did anything right, I would drop dead of shock._

"Hey Motoko."

"Hello, Naru."

_Take Naru,_ Motoko thought as the girl stepped past her, _she studies hard every day, she-_

"Naru?"

Motoko shook off her reverie and pushed away from the wall, quickly turning to face the other girl… but before she could open her mouth, Naru was pulling Keitaro's door open and calling, "Hey, Keitaro, do you have those notes I… oh… oh, I didn't know you had company…"

Peering around Naru's shoulder, Motoko found her eyes widening at what she beheld, and it became quite clear why Naru was so flustered. Shinobu was sitting next to Keitaro on the floor of his room, an open sketchbook resting between them as Keitaro pointed out some detail or another… but what caused the girls in the hall to stare was Shinobu's closeness.

Motoko could almost picture the scene in her mind, imagining Shinobu leaning closer and closer as each page was turned until her shoulder was brushing Keitaro's and her hand was next to his on the floor.

_Any closer and she could kiss him,_ she thought, her jaw falling open as Shinobu quickly turned her eyes back to the sketchbook. _And she was about to! We opened the door just in time…! _Her eyes shot to the cups of tea on the little table in the middle of Keitaro's room. _It was never for me,_ she realized suddenly, _she KNEW I wouldn't stay. That calculating little devil!_

Shinobu, it seemed, had realized that Motoko had put the pieces of her ruse together. "Well," she said, quickly gathering up the tray and rising to her feet. "Thank you for showing me your drawings, Sempai… I'll see you in the morning."

Quick as a flash, the purple-haired girl bolted from the room, carting the tray down the stairs without so much as a single backward glance.

Slowly closing his sketchbook, Keitaro regarded the two glaring women outside of his door.

"What…?"

Motoko folded her arms, waiting to speak until Naru's inevitable explosion. _She won't let this slide,_ Motoko thought confidently. _Any second now, Keitaro will be flying through that wall. It's better that she do it, though, he IS my sensei, after all._

"Well," Naru said abruptly, cracking her knuckles loudly as she advanced into the room. "I'd recommend covering anything you don't want broken, pervert… because you are about to be visited by the ghost of beatings past, present, _and_ future, all at the same time."

"Go ahead."

Naru nodded. "You're damn right I'll… huh?"

"I said go ahead," Keitaro said, nervously eying Naru's fists in spite of his words. "Do it… beat me up, break an arm if you want to – I know I can't convince you that nothing happened, so just get it over with." He swallowed hard. "But after you're done, do you think you can help me?"

Motoko and Naru exchanged a glance. "I think we're missing something here," Naru mumbled, entirely confused. "Wanna run that by me again?"

Keitaro motioned the two into the room. "Close the door," he said quietly, "have a seat…"

"We'll stand," Motoko said evenly, though she did follow Naru into the room and close the door. "Now… explain yourself."

Wetting his lips, Keitaro blurted, "You have to help me with Shinobu."

"Come again?"

"She's…" Keitaro wet his lips a second time, clearly choosing his words with great care as his eyes flashed to the place where Motoko's sword usually hung – as if she could call it by pure will, if she wanted to. "I know you guys won't believe it when I say this, but she's all over me! I thought it was just coincidence at first, but she's everywhere I go, all the time… and she keeps, you know, touching me – not like, anywhere perverted, but she keeps touching my hands and arms and 'accidentally' bumping into me in the halls and stuff. I don't know what to do."

Motoko frowned, remembering the look on Shinobu's face as she slipped out with the tray of tea… and her blunt admission that she was in love with Keitaro. "You mean you're always in her way, and it really _is_ an accident," she said belatedly, discounting this scenario even as the words left her mouth.

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Keitaro mumbled, "Look, I know you guys don't like me sometimes, ok? But this time, it's not me! She keeps asking me out – you know, like to that play the other day and stuff like that, and no matter how many other people get invited, it always ends up with just the two of us alone… and I can't figure out how to stop it from happening."

"Almost sounds like sexual harassment, doesn't it?" Naru mused. "You know, like in the movies, where the woman finally gets fed up with the guys up at work 'just being guys' and files a lawsuit, only this time it's role reversal."

Keitaro gave her a doleful glance. "This is serious, Naru," he groaned, "I can't… I can't just tell her no, it would hurt her feelings… but I can't keep going out with her and let things get serious."

Motoko found herself speaking before she could stop herself.

"Why not?"

When his eyes turned to hers, Motoko was surprised to find desperation in their brown depths. "She's fourteen, Motoko," he whispered awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable even discussing the topic with them. "You guys might think I'm a pervert, but you can't honestly think I'm a child molester… right?"

Naru coughed into her fist, kicking Motoko in the ankle to keep her from saying, 'Actually, we did.'

"What can I do?"

Motoko had to admit that she was at a loss for words. _If he'd noticed sooner,_ she thought, biting absently at her thumbnail as Naru scratched her head, _then he could have avoided her… but now it would seem obvious if he suddenly stopped spending time with her – and she's so sensitive that if he was up front with her, it would break her heart. I hate to admit it, but-_

"You're screwed."

"I know," Keitaro said as Naru voiced what was on Motoko's mind. "There has to be a way I can let her know I don't see her that way."

"You could pretend to be involved with one of us," Naru mused, "I'll do it, if you want."

_I'll bet you would,_ Motoko thought darkly. _What was it you said about Kitsune week before last? Repressed desires indeed._

"No," Keitaro sighed. "That would just hurt her. She wouldn't understand why I could see one of you and not her…"

Biting her bottom lip for a moment, Naru turned to Motoko. "Is there anyone at your dojo who could help us out with this? You know, take one for the team and all that?"

"I don't think this avenue is really going to be effective," Motoko said smoothly. "We need to find another solution."

"Ok," Naru said, "what?"

Silence fell as the three regarded each other. It remained unbroken for some time.

Continued…

Author's notes: I can't think of any notes on this one.

Hawker-748 pre-read for me again, which makes me feel guilty because I'd rather have him working on his vastly superior stories than helping me limp through this one.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 6

By Random1377

Keitaro sat on the couch, feeling a bit like a king on his throne, surrounded by loyal subjects. It was a skin-deep ideal, of course, as the women surrounding him were anything but subjugated, but it was a pleasing diversion for his bored mind, as the movie the Hinata residents were watching was screamingly bad.

_Attack of the Leech Monsters from Jupiter,_ he thought dismally, _Kitsune picked a real winner._

Pretending that he had _not_ jumped several times at the cheap schlock onscreen, he turned his mind to other topics. No resolution had been reached in his discussion with Motoko and Naru on Monday night, so they had done what most people did when a complicated situation with no clear solution presented itself.

They ignored it, hoping it would go away.

The reason for the movie marathon, starting with the aforementioned, dreadfully bad horror movie, was to celebrate Kitsune making it through a week at the video store without offending any customers, dying of boredom, or getting hit on by her manager – a milestone, in the gray-haired girl's book.

_Maybe the other two will be better,_ Keitaro mused, glancing at the spines of the remaining DVD cases sitting on top of the TV. _At least I've HEARD of those…_

He squirmed a bit, trying to pretend that Kitsune's left breast was _not_ pressed against his right arm, and that Shinobu's hip was _not_ brushing his outer thigh, and that Motoko's disapproving gaze was _not_ on him more often than the television.

Overall, it was not a pleasant movie-watching experience – and not just because of the sub-par viewing material.

"Oh, Naru-sempai," Shinobu said suddenly, drawing Keitaro from his musings on the low standards of current cinema. "I thought you were studying."

"I am," Naru said simply. "But it's cold up in my room, so I thought I'd come down here to work for a while." She held up her book with on hand, and made a scooting motion with the other. "Make some room, would ya?"

From the way she had moved her hand, it was clear that she wanted Shinobu to move over – which was logical, since Kitsune was up against the right arm of the couch, and Shinobu had quite a bit of space on the side _not_ grazing Keitaro.

Was the younger woman happy about this? No… no she was not.

"Of course, sempai," she replied with a fixed, very obviously forced smile, moving over only when Naru walked towards the couch.

"Thanks."

Opening her textbook, Naru immediately set about the business of ignoring everything else. As the horror movie ended, Kitsune bounced up, announcing, "The next one's even scarier!"

Motoko rose from her chair, giving Naru a questioning glance before murmuring that she was going to the bathroom.

"Hey, wait up," Kitsune said suddenly. "I'll go too."

"I think I can handle it," Motoko deadpanned, "go upstairs."

"Don't be like that," the gray-haired girl said pitifully. "I don't wanna go by myself… there might be leeches."

Everyone stared at her for a long, long time.

Finally, Motoko muttered, "I'm sure you'll be safe…one kills leeches with alcohol, after all."

"Plleeeaase?"

"No, you're a grown woman, go by yourself."

"But I won't be able to!" Kitsune complained. "I'll keep thinking of big space bugs. I need someone to talk to."

"What would you do if no one was home?" Motoko demanded. "Just hold it indefinitely?"

Kitsune shook her head. "Well, if I was alone, I'd just think about waterfalls and rivers and streams, and I'd leave the sink running and listen to the sound of flowing, rushing, spilling water pouring all over-"

"Oohhh," Shinobu moaned, "Now I have to go…!"

Grinning suddenly, Kitsune said, "Great! You can come with me."

Keitaro chuckled. _Clever,_ he thought, impressed at the fox-girl's craftiness. _Very clever, Kitsune…_

"I'll go too!"

Everyone jumped as Su popped out from under the coffee table.

"How long have you been there?" Kitsune wanted to know, covering her heart as she leaned on Shinobu for support. "Jeez, for a second there I thought I wouldn't have to go all the way to the bathroom."

"I've been here since the giant space leeches latched onto the school teacher's back," Su declared proudly. "I even grabbed Keitaro-hentai's ankle and made him scream like a girl."

"That was you?" Keitaro muttered. "…and would you mind not calling me that?"

With the younger girls in tow, Kitsune headed upstairs. Motoko left a moment later, hesitating as she studied Naru's bowed head.

Something was amiss… but she could not quite put her finger on it.

As Motoko's footfalls faded down the hall, Naru closed her book and turned to face Keitaro. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Shrugging, Keitaro replied, "Nothing, I guess. Cleaning, like always, little studying… nothing big. Why?"

"Let's go out for dinner."

"Dinner?" Keitaro said thoughtfully. "That sounds ni- wait a minute, what?"

Naru rested her elbow on the back of the couch, leaning her head against her fist and looking into Keitaro's eyes. "You, me, dinner, tomorrow," she said, speaking as if he was a complete idiot. "Is that clear enough?"

"Umm, it is," Keitaro admitted. "But how come?"

"Because I want to be with you."

"O…k…"

"Good."

As Naru reopened her textbook, Keitaro said, "I thought we decided it would be a bad idea to pretend I was dating one of you to make Shinobu back off."

Naru gazed down at her homework, waiting until she heard footsteps coming back down the hall to ensure that he would not have a chance to reply before whispering, "Who said I'm pretending…?"

( 0 0 0 )

_Mmm, weekends are too short,_ Kitsune thought, rubbing her face with both hands as she sat up on her futon. _Sunday already, so no drinking tonight… and those movies sucked. On a scale of one ten, this weekend's been a solid four._

Throwing her covers back, she got to her feet, glancing down to make sure she was suitably covered. In shorts and a loose-fitting tank top, the other, more prudish girls in the Hinata may have felt underdressed, but Kitsune simply shrugged. Nothing was hanging out, she figured, and she was just running down to the kitchen for some toast.

No big deal.

_It's so quiet,_ she thought, marveling at this fact as she reached the ground floor. _I know Su said something about dragging Shinobu off to find some hidden turtle ruin, or some crap like that, and Naru's in her room, I saw her on the way by, so that just leaves Motoko and Keitaro unaccounted for._

A quick glance at the front door showed Motoko's shoes conspicuously absent.

"So she's out somewhere," Kitsune murmured, turning towards the kitchen, "so all that's missing is Keitaro."

"Hmm? Were you calling me?"

Poking his head out of the kitchen, Keitaro gave Kitsune a questioning look.

"I was just wondering where everyone was," Kitsune shrugged. "But I figured it out."

"Oh, ok."

"Hey – Keitaro, look out for that bar of so-"

_Too late._

With a cry, Keitaro's foot slid out from under him. Considering who he was, and how his luck ran, it should be no surprise that he stumbled and fell directly into Kitsune, carrying her to the floor with a muffled thump.

"…ow."

The bar of soap flew up into the air… and miraculously kept going, sprouting wings as it cruised off into the next room.

_Not soap,_ Kitsune thought, finally realizing what it was she was seeing, _turtle._

"S-sorry…!"

Kitsune returned her attention to Keitaro, finding him on all fours, straddling her body. His knees were on either side of her waist, and his hands had landed on either side of her head, creating the perfect illusion of dominance and power.

Too perfect, in fact, for Kitsune to remain silent.

"I'm not complaining," she whispered, giving him her best melt-in-your-mouth smile. "I'm just a little surprised. I never knew you were so… forceful…" As he tried to pull away, she slipped her arms around his chest, keeping him close. "Where ya goin'?"

"I should… go finish c-cleaning," Keitaro stammered, blushing brightly and trying not to look down at Kitsune's ill-concealed cleavage.

Pouting, Kitsune said, "You're always so quick to get away from me… don't you like me, Keitaro?"

Keitaro wet his lips. "That's not it, I do, I just-"

"You like me?"

"Y-yeah, I-"

"How much?"

For a very, very long moment, Keitaro simply stared into her eyes, completely at a loss for words. _He's so cute when he's flustered,_ Kitsune thought, returning his stare with a soft, seductive smile. _Maybe if Shinobu wasn't so serious about him I- oh God, what am I thinking? This is Keitaro, for God's sake! He…_

Her thought trailed off as Keitaro suddenly moved forward, turning his head slightly to the side – almost as if he was about to kiss her.

"I'm home!"

Keitaro was on his feet and into the kitchen before Kitsune could even place the voice calling out from the front door. _Ok, whoa,_ she thought, _what was that…?_

"Kitsune? Why are you lying on the floor?"

Pushing herself up on her elbows, Kitsune stared at the kitchen door. "Slipped on a terrapin," she muttered, still trying to piece together the last few minutes in her mind.

_Did he just… he didn't, did he?_

Sliding her shoes off, Motoko dryly asked, "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? You certainly don't have any _clothing_ to pad your fall."

Kitsune shook her head, rising to her feet and dusting her backside with one hand. "Not really in the mood for this right now," she said evenly, her thoughts racing as she tried to even picture the scenario her mind was insisting on framing.

"Oh, you can dish it out, but you can't take it," Motoko said coolly. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. It's not as funny when you're the butt of the joke, is it?"

"Lay off," Kitsune warned. "I just said I'm not in the mood."

Motoko folded her arms. "Do you stop to think that other people might not be in the mood before you start in on them?"

Staring at the other girl for a moment, Kitsune suddenly said, "It's the fifteenth, isn't it? You always start on the fifteenth."

Flushing, Motoko stared the other woman down. "That has nothing to do with this," she said warningly. "I saw Keitaro leaving when I walked in. What's going on in here, Kitsune?"

Kitsune ground her teeth. "Nothing," she gritted out, "nothing at all! We were just talking."

"You still can't admit that you like him," Motoko scoffed. "Even Naru's taking the gloves off, did you know that? She invited him out to dinner tonight, you know, and Shinobu's barely even keeping her attraction to him a secret now."

"Yeah, so?" Kitsune countered. "I told you before, I _don't like him that way!_"

Motoko pursed her lips. "If you were more honest with yourself, you'd be a happier person," she observed. "Perhaps you-"

"Yeah, well, _perhaps_ you should deal with your own issues before tackling mine," Kitsune cut in sharply. "I might not know what I want from my romantic life, but at least I have some goddamn self-respect." Abruptly, she got right in Motoko's face and whispered, "At least I can look at a mirror for more than five seconds at a time."

Paling, Motoko whispered, "I can't believe I ever trusted you."

"Neither can I," Kitsune shot back. "You can't even stomach your own reflection, so why…"

She trailed off, taking a step back and scrubbing a hand through her hair as she realized just how harsh she was being.

"I think… you should stay away from me for a while," Motoko said quietly, looking very much as if she wanted to wrap her hands around Kitsune's throat.

"Yeah," Kitsune said softly, unable to meet the other girl's hurt gaze. "Yeah, maybe I should."

( 0 0 0 )

For the rest of the day, Motoko avoided everyone else at the Hinata. Her blowout with Kitsune had made her question several very basic aspects of her life, and as she no longer had her blade to take comfort in, she was forced to meet them head-on.

_I don't hate myself._

This, she decided, was the root of her concerns. If she hated her reflection, the disgust must go deeper than the skin – that is what she had always been taught… but she had never once, in all of her life, considered the possibility that she, of all people, had issues with self-esteem.

Until Kitsune rubbed her nose right in it, that is.

_And how does she handle things?_ Motoko thought bitterly. _Hiding in her room and drinking, of course – and she has to be at work in the morning!_

Blinking, Motoko found herself outside of Keitaro's room.

"Why am I here?"

In her mind, however, a nebulous idea was forming. There was nothing wrong with her. She was stable, self-respecting, and had no problem looking at herself in a mirror – if she needed to. Perhaps, though, there was another way to prove to herself, and Kitsune, that her body image was doing just fine.

_Wait a minute,_ she thought, hesitating with her hand raised to knock on Ketiaro's door. _Why do I HAVE to prove anything to her? This isn't grade school… I don't have to say 'see, I told you so,' every time someone insults me. Right – this is stupid, and I'm not going to do it._

In spite of this thought, she still knocked on Keitaro's door.

"Coming."

_Ok, now why did I do that…?_

"Motoko, hi," Keitaro said, clearly surprised to see her. "What can I do for you?"

"Keitaro," she said formally, "do you have a minute?"

"I do," the manager replied, nervously glancing at the clock, "but could make it quick? I'm going for dinner with some… some friends…"

Motoko's lips pursed. _Well,_ she thought clinically, _at least he has the taste to try to lie to me. He probably thinks that I don't know about Naru – not that I care, of course._

Ignoring the twinge of discomfort this thought gave her, she stepped into Keitaro's room and slid the door shut. This move did not go unnoticed by Keitaro, who took a cautious step back, remembering that it had not been _that_ long since the last time she had propelled him through the drywall with barely a moment's warning.

"Can you sketch me?"

"Er, yeah, I could," Keitaro said uncertainly, clearly unprepared to hear these words from her mouth. "I mean, I've done it before, so…"

"I mean a more professional sketch," Motoko said. "A portrait."

Keitaro considered the request. "You'd have to sit still longer," he said slowly, "so we'd have to do it somewhere no one could interrupt, like my room, or your ro-"

"You're not coming into my room."

"Ok," Keitaro said, "then my room, I guess. What did you have in mind? Any specific pose?"

"I want something artistic," Motoko said calmly. "Perhaps… a classic pose like this?" she crossed her hands over her chest.

"I could do that," Keitaro said confidently.

Motoko hesitated for a moment before adding, "Only… only without a shirt."

"W-with…_out_?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no," Keitaro said quickly, quickly wiping at his nose to ensure that it was not spewing blood. "I've just… never done a drawing like that."

"Then your answer is no?"

Keitaro frowned, quickly picking up on the fact that Motoko _wanted_ him to say no.

"I'll do it," he said carefully, "if you really want me to."

"I do."

"…alright."

"Tomorrow night, then," Motoko whispered, "while Naru's at school."

"Y-yeah… yeah, sure…"

"Have a nice evening, sensei."

Keitaro returned her rather formal bow, rubbing his sweating palms on his pants as the very idea of being alone with Motoko in his room – sans shirt – made his heart pound hard enough to bruise his ribs.

"See you later."

( 0 0 0 )

"Could you pass me a roll?"

Keitaro looked up from where he had been staring into his water, shaking his head and nearly tipping his glass over as he quickly grabbed Naru a roll.

"Little jumpy tonight, aren't you?" Naru asked, accepting the roll and breaking it open before unwrapping a little foil packet of butter. "I don't make you nervous, do I Keitaro?"

_Yes, you do,_ Keitaro thought immediately, _but that's not what I was thinking about…_

Many people would think that being on a date with Naru was reason enough to be edgy, considering her volatile nature, but in all honesty, it was a minor distraction compared to having Motoko Aoyama ask for a topless sketch – even one where her hands would be covering her chest.

_It's just not like her,_ Keitaro mused, mumbling that he was fine. _She looked like she was forcing herself to ask. Maybe someone made a bet with her or something?_

"Ahem."

Glancing up, Keitaro found Naru glaring at him. "Wh-what?"

"I said, do you know what you want yet?" Naru grumbled, clearly annoyed at his inattentiveness. "I'm getting spaghetti."

"That sounds good," Keitaro nodded, giving the menu a cursory glance. "I think I'll get that too."

The Italian restaurant Naru had chosen was nice without being overly expensive, and Keitaro had to admit that the dimly lit, cozy tables gave the place an undeniably intimate ambiance. Realizing this, though, gave rise to the questions, 'why did she invite me here?' and 'is she going to confess?' and a million more along the same lines.

All of which finally allowed him to push the uncomfortably warm image of Motoko's bare midriff from his mind.

"Hey!"

"Gah! What?"

Naru pointed to her right as Keitaro looked up, breaking the thoughtful trance he had fallen into.

"It's time to order, dufus!"

Several embarrassing moments later, two spaghetti specials had been ordered, and the Hinata residents had fallen back into contemplative silence.

"Keitaro," Naru said finally, "can we talk?"

_Oh, why do I not like the sound of that?_ Keitaro thought, wishing his stomach was not doing summersaults.

"Um, sure."

Toying with her roll, Naru said, "School's getting pretty intense. I'm probably going to be pretty busy for the next couple months, you know? So I was thinking…"

Taking a sip of his water, but finding that it did nothing to calm his stomach, Keitaro prompted, "You were thinking…?"

Naru dropped her roll onto her plate and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table to look him squarely in the eyes. "So I was thinking it's time to ask you to wait for me."

"Huh?"

"This is hard already, Keitaro," Naru said softly. "Don't make it harder. I'm saying I won't be able to be with you very much… but I want you to wait for me, ok? I know… I haven't been very good to you lately, and we've never really confirmed what it is we have, but I can't really tap-dance around it anymore – I just don't have the time. Be my boyfriend."

"Y-your boyfriend?" Keitaro stuttered, his jaw dropping open at this open declaration.

Naru looked irritated. "It would be great if you would stop repeating me and actually talked," she said flatly. "Yes, be my boyfriend – not out in the open, at first… I don't want anyone to think I'm taking advantage of you or trying to get lower rent or something, but when we're alone, yeah, I want you to be my boyfriend. I know this is a lot to ask, since I'll be studying all the time and I won't be with you that much when school's in session, but I'm still going to ask you, Keitaro. I'm worth a few months of waiting, right?"

"Of course you are," Keitaro said awkwardly. "But… but what if you meet someone at school that you like?"

Frowning slightly, Naru said, "I won't cheat on you if you're my boyfriend, Keitaro."

"That's not what I meant," Keitaro said awkwardly. "I'm just thinking there are so many guys out there better than me. What if you meet one you like more while you're stuck with me?"

"That's not going to happen, Keitaro," Naru said, her brows drawing down further as she stared at him. "I want to be with you."

"Are you sure?"

_Why am I doing this?_ Keitaro thought suddenly, feeling a very powerful urge to slap himself in the forehead as Naru stared at him. _What am I thinking? This is what I've wanted all along, isn't it? It's Naru I want… it's always been Naru!_

He opened his mouth to say this, but Naru abruptly whispered, "Forget it. Just… forget it…"

"Naru, I-"

"You know, I'm really not that hungry," Naru said suddenly, rising to her feet and pushing her chair back from the table. "Here… get mine to go or something."

So saying, she dropped a pocketful of bills on the table and turned around, heading for the door without a backward glance.

"Naru, wait!"

Stuffing his hand into his pocket, Keitaro fished out his wallet and fumbled out enough money to cover the tab. _Catch her,_ he thought frantically. _God, go catch her you idiot – you stupid, STUPID IDIOT!_

By the time he reached the street, however, Naru was nowhere in sight. Knowing it would be useless to try to find her, Keitaro went back into the restaurant and sat back down at the table, staring at his recently delivered plate of spaghetti with a deep, forlorn sigh.

Picking up his fork, he whispered, "Way to go, genius… way to go…"

He set his fork back down after only two bites. It tasted great… but Keitaro had lost his appetite.

Continued…

Author's note: think you know what's going on? Think you have it all figured out? Think you know how it's all going to end? Gimme a second. I'm just warming up.

Pre-read courtesy of Hawker-748. Thanks again, amigo. Time for things to get interesting.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 7

By Random1377

Keitaro dried his hands on a small towel, looking around for Shinobu – more to make sure she didn't get the drop on him than any real need to talk to her. Finding himself (miraculously) alone, he sighed, tossing the towel onto the kitchen table and heading into the living room.

With all that had happened the day before – with Naru, Kitsune, and Motoko – he really just wanted to relax.

Sadly, other parties had different designs for his time.

"Keitarooooo!"

"GAH!"

Keitaro croaked out a complaint as Su, hearing him coming out of the kitchen, launched herself from the bottom stair, wrapping her legs around his neck and laying him flat on his back. Executing a perfect back flip, she planted her butt on his stomach, putting her fists on either side of his head and leaning down to stare into his face with a broad, carefree smile.

"Play with me!"

Sucking in a lungful of air, Keitaro rasped, "O…k…"

"Yay, yay, _yay!_"

Before he could even blink, he was dragged off through the Hinata, unable to keep his bearings as Su tugged him along behind her, only running him into furniture twice before reaching her destination.

Finally catching his breath, Keitaro muttered, "Where are we?"

"My room."

Keitaro paled with fear. "Can we… play somewhere else?" he squeaked, trying to look everywhere to make sure no large creatures, mechanical or tropical, could get the drop on him.

"Aww!" Su complained. "But I wanna play here!"

"Ok," Keitaro sighed. "…but if I get eaten, I won't be able to play tomorrow."

Su gave him a not-very-reassuring salute.

Still edgy, Keitaro said, "Sooo what did you want to play?"

He crossed his fingers, hoping it wasn't anything too violent or involving the consumption of exotic MolMolease insects. _I don't care if they ARE a delicacy,_ he thought, remembering his last visit to Su's room, _I am NOT putting any more bugs in my mouth!_

To his surprise, Su simply said, "Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" Keitaro said, looking down at the girl with suspicion. "You didn't… have something in mind?"

"Uh-uh," Su shook her head. "I just want to play with you."

Smiling indulgently, Keitaro said, "We could have played upstairs, you know, you didn't have to drag me all the way down here."

"Uh-huh," Su countered. "If we were playing upstairs, someone would come take you away."

"Huh?"

Grabbing his hand, Su pulled him deeper into her room. "Well," she explained, "every time I try to play with you… Shinobu needs something, or Naru needs something, or Motoko needs something, or Kitsune needs something – but I want to play, and they don't like coming down here."

Keitaro thought back over the couple weeks. _Wow, she's right,_ he realized, _one of them, or all of them, are always around. Poor Su… I've been ignoring her._

Turning his hand around to hold Su's in a more comfortable grip, he whispered, "What do _you_ want to play?"

"I don't care, as long as it's with Keitaro," Su said happily. "Keitaro is my favorite."

"Heh," Keitaro chuckled. "Thanks."

"That's why I'm going to marry Keitaro."

Keitaro's smile grew rather fixed. "Su," he said slowly, "you're… a little young to… marry, you know. I don't know what the laws are in MolMol, but here, you have to be at least sixteen – maybe even seventeen, and… what?"

He trailed off as Su gave him a look that screamed, 'What ARE you talking about?' before pulling a pair of plastic rings out of her pocket. "There!" she declared, shoving one of the rings onto his finger. "Now you're my husband!"

Smiling with relief, Keitaro took the other ring, slipping it onto her finger and bowing over her hand. "So am I mister Su, or are you misses Urashima?"

"You're mister Su," Su told him, speaking as if this should be obvious, "Keitaro Su the First – Prince of MolMol."

"I like the sound of that," Keitaro laughed. "So what do I need to do, wife?"

Su looked up at him. "You have to be nice to me," she said firmly, "and spend time with me, and play with me…" her voice grew a bit softer, "and all the things you used to do before Motoko and Shinobu and Naru and Kitsune started keeping you for themselves."

Keitaro swallowed, feeling like a heel as he put his hand on top of Su's head. "I'll always be nice to you," he said softly, "and if you want to play, and someone else is with me, just tell me and I'll come play, ok?"

"Promise?"

"Unless it's something I can't stop doing like working on chores or school work, yeah," Keitaro said, making sure not to dig himself into a hole. "I'll find time for you, Su, any time."

Grinning from ear to ear, Su nodded. "K!"

Suddenly, Keitaro's smile faded, his eyes fixing on the plastic ring around his finger as a rather disturbing thought occurred to him.

"You know we're not… _really_ married… right?"

( 0 0 0 )

_Thank GOD Kitsune's still at work._

Motoko glanced around nervously, firming her excuse of hearing a noise in the house and going to tell the manager in case Su or Shinobu should happen to spot her coming down the stairs to Keitaro's room in jeans and a robe.

Fortunately, neither girl was anywhere in sight, and Motoko reasoned that since they were both in grade school, they were probably working on homework together. _As I should be,_ she thought suddenly, _my studies have gone downhill since this fiasco started._

As had her stamina, her sword skills, and her reflexes. Basically the only thing she had managed to increase was her attention span, which had been good before, but had grown exponentially by watching Keitaro do absolutely nothing for hours at a time. She was fairly sure that if awards were given for contained screams, she would win first place.

And now she was about to strip for him.

_Bah,_ she thought, tapping lightly on Keitaro's door, _this isn't for him at all, and I won't be 'stripping' at all. Tasteful, that's what I told him. Tasteful._

"Hey," Keitaro said, glancing past Motoko to see if anyone else was watching before motioning her in.

_At least we're on the same wavelength there,_ Motoko thought… though her reason – embarrassment – was far different from Keitaro's… which revolved around the fear of being beaten to a bloody pulp.

"Have a seat," he said nervously, pointing to the floor. "I thought about bringing in a chair… but I figured with all the meditating you do for your sword stuff, you'd probably be more comfortable kneeling. Was I right…?"

"Yes, thank you," Motoko said, glancing at the rose and the sword for a moment before forcing her eyes away. "How long will this take?"

Keitaro knelt across from her, grabbing his sketchbook and pencils. "Awhile," he said, shrugging as she pursed her lips. "I don't do many portraits, so it could take awhile, but I'll try to make it quick, ok?"

"Fair enough."

"Are you… going to smile?"

Motoko considered this for a moment before replying, "Do I need to?"

"No," Keitaro said, "I was just trying to picture how you would look with a smile on your face… I thought it would make a good picture."

_I smile plenty,_ Motoko thought with a frown, _just not for you._

She forced her face back into its usual, serious expression. Keitaro, she knew, was not the one she was angry with, so redirecting her rage would only make things more awkward between them.

They stared at each other for several minutes in complete silence before Motoko slowly wrapped her hands around the lapels of her robe.

"Could you turn your back?"

"Oh, right, yeah."

Keitaro quickly turned around, waiting with his fists on his knees as the shuffle of moving cloth rose behind him. The urge to peek was nearly overwhelming, but he somehow managed to keep his raging hormones in check until Motoko's soft whisper drew his attention.

"I'm ready."

Slowly turning around, Keitaro had to catch his breath. Somehow, being partially covered made the dark-haired girl even sexier than if she had been completely bared, and it took him a moment – and her clearing her throat – before he remembered why he was there and grabbed his pencil.

_I don't hate myself,_ Motoko told herself, holding perfectly still as Keitaro sketched and scratched at the paper. _Kitsune_ _is wrong._

After several endless minutes, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

_I am not ashamed of my body…_

Slowly, Motoko unfolded her arms, blushing terribly as she laid her hands in her lap.

When Keitaro next glanced up from his sketchbook, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he quickly bowed his head, stammering, "Ahh, I'm sorry! I d-didn't see anyth-"

"Keitaro."

"Y-yeah?"

"…please keep drawing."

Keitaro's eyes shot back up, but he could not produce any sound.

"Please."

After several moments of stunned silence… Keitaro did as he was asked.

The time crawled by interminably for Motoko as Keitaro fumbled with his pencil and continually mumbled apologies, seemingly trying to draw by memory as he took half-second long glimpses of her body. She knew that her cheeks were as red as his, but she willed herself to remain still, feeling that this was important – if for no other reason than to prove to herself that Kitsune was wrong about her.

Ultimately, she had to avert her eyes, unable to look Keitaro in the face. It was not the first time he had seen her naked, not by a long shot, but it was the first time she had allowed it, and it felt disturbingly intimate to her.

It was a feeling she did not like.

_God, he's intense right now,_ she thought suddenly, her gaze drawn back to Keitaro's focused brown eyes. _Is it because he's drawing… or because it's ME he's drawing…?_

She shivered, nearly pulling her robe back on and running from the room as Keitaro's eyes suddenly locked on hers.

_Don't look at me like that,_ she thought, her bottom lip trembling slightly as he seemed to stare right into her. _You shouldn't see me this way! I don't want -_

"I'm done."

Motoko shook herself, slowly pulling her robe back up onto her shoulders, though it suddenly seemed like a useless gesture. What good did it do to cover what was probably etched into Keitaro's memory for all time?

The fact that she could not decide if she was happy or unhappy with this idea confused and frightened her more than she could have imagined.

"Here…"

Slowly, almost ritualistically, Keitaro set the sketchbook on the tatami mat and pushed it across to her… and there she was, in all her grotesque glory. Her muscular shoulders, washboard flat stomach, embarrassingly large breasts… all of it carefully detailed in pencil by hands far more gifted than their owner knew.

Pulling her robe tighter around her shivering body, Motoko whispered, "Keitaro…?"

"Yeah?"

"…please destroy that."

Without another word, Motoko rose to her feet, crossed the room… and slowly lifted her sword off of its stand, carrying it from the room without ever looking back.

( 0 0 0 )

The waters of the hot spring lapped gently against the rocks as the residents of the Hinata languished in their warm embrace. Each had taken a spot as far from the others as possible, lost in their own thoughts as the waters relaxed their tense muscles. Su, of course, was the exception to this rule, splashing and swimming around as if completely oblivious to the other girl's small frowns and darting eyes.

It almost made Kitsune envious.

_How sad,_ she thought dismally, _jealous of a kid for being happy. Next thing you know I'll be swearing off booze and trying to make myself a 'better person.'_ She snorted to herself, scooping water up and wiping her face. _Yeah… like that'd ever happen…_

"Something funny?"

Kitsune glanced up, finding Naru gazing at her from the corner of her eye. "Nope," she said lightly, "just thinking that when I was a kid my parents would have freaked if they'd found out I was hanging out in a hot springs past bedtime on a school night."

As expected, everyone – again, barring Su – gave her a dirty look. Even Naru, who was not that much younger than her, seemed to think it was a personal attack, though rather than exploding, she simply said, "Maybe you should have listened to them. If you had, you probably would have graduated from college by now."

Yawning, Kitsune said, "Nah, if I spent all my time in stuffy classrooms, I'd never land a rich, doting husband. Besides, I never was too good at sticking to things. I'm sure _some_ of us here can understand that, right?"

As if on command, everyone's eyes darted briefly over to where Motoko's sword was propped up against the Hinata's outside wall. It had been on the dark-haired girl's hip since she had left her room in the morning, and while no one had asked her what had happened, it was fairly obvious that the arrangement she had agreed to with Keitaro was over.

The manager himself had very little to say to anyone, and spent the entire day doing chores and avoiding eye contact, confirming that some type of falling out had taken place. Eventually, Kitsune knew, the truth would come out. Neither Keitaro nor Motoko was terribly good at keeping secrets.

If Motoko was bothered by Kitsune's insinuations, however, she said nothing about it. She simply adjusted the hand towel on her head and leaned back on the rocks, looking up into the cold winter sky with a perfectly unreadable expression as she quietly whispered, "How was your date, Naru?"

Shinobu, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly went very rigid.

"D-date…?" she whispered, trying unsuccessfully to keep her cool as her eyes flashed to Naru's calm, collected face. "Who did you go out with, Naru-sempai?"

"Oh, you didn't tell her," Kitsune 'helpfully' mused. "Well, I guess if you're dating Keitaro, it's nobody's business but yours."

Shinobu wet her lips. "You and Keitaro-"

"We are _not_ dating," Naru cut in flatly. "Why the sudden interest, Kitsune? Does slinging videos around all day for minimum wage leave you enough free time to worry about what's going on in my personal life?"

Looking absolutely panic-stricken, Shinobu looked from one girl to the other, clearly trying to decide which potential opponent worried her more. She had admitted to Kitsune that she saw her as a threat… but everyone at the Hinata Sou knew that there were two universal truths about living under that roof – one, that Keitaro was at his clumsiest when Naru was around, meaning that she was the one he liked most, and two, if Naru put her mind to something, she made it happen, no matter what stood in her way.

Kitsune gave her a complacent smile. "I'm just worried about my best friend," she said disingenuously. "Since when is that a crime?"

"It's not," Naru said coolly, "when it's sincere."

"I am sinc-"

"She can't be dating Keitaro, because he married me today."

Everyone fell silent as Su paddled past.

"Well there you go," Kitsune said with a shrug. "He's off the market. Problem solved."

Rising to her feet, Motoko announced, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

She hesitated… then, to everyone's surprise, she pulled her hair back over her shoulders and strode almost regally over to where her towel lay, making absolutely no move to cover herself in any way as she moved through the hot springs, the droplets of water on her silk-smooth skin and pitch black hair catching the moonlight and transforming her into an almost ethereal vision of grace and beauty.

Su whispered the thought that was on everyone's mind in a voice filled with appreciative awe.

"…pretty."

Kitsune averted her eyes, pretending that she had not seen the way Motoko's hands where shaking as she picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself. _Point taken, Motoko…_

After a moment of quiet, Naru whispered, "I'm going too. Congratulations on your marriage, Su."

Smiling from ear to ear, Su gave her a jaunty wave.

Shinobu looked as if she desperately wanted to know what was going on, but with Su there, and Motoko potentially within earshot, she held her tongue.

_Man,_ Kitsune thought, _living in this dump gets more complicated every damn day._ Sinking into the water until her nose nearly touched the surface, she closed her eyes, another thought crossing her mind as Su continued to splash around.

_So, Naru's given up. Interesting…_

( 0 0 0 )

Keitaro sat on the Hinata's rooftop, looking up at the shockingly blue sky and thinking, not for the first time, that he should start using colored pencils. _I'd love to have that sky on paper,_ he thought, absently scooping up a handful of snow and compacting it into a ball. _I was never good at color blending, though, so I'd have to practice a lot before I got it right._

Thinking about art, he found, was much, much easier than thinking about how confusing things were in the boardinghouse he presided over.

_That rose sketch came out pretty well, though,_ he thought, unconsciously clenching his hand and crushing the snowball into powder as he recalled the last time the rose's rightful owner had been in his room. _Maybe I'll do another one…_

Brushing the snow off of his hands, he shook his head, toying with the idea of going back into the Hinata… but he decided that he really liked the quiet of the outside better, and since all the chores were done, Naru still wasn't speaking to him, and Kitsune and Motoko were both avoiding him, he really had no incentive to be anywhere other than where he currently was.

Until the soft crunch of boots on snow made him lift his head.

"Hi Shinobu," he said, keeping his voice low to preserve the peaceful atmosphere as the girl approached him. "Is there something you need?"

Shinobu gave him a hesitant smile. "It's past lunchtime," she said, reaching into the impossibly puffy jacket she was wearing. "I thought you might be hungry."

Finally reaching his side, she pulled a metal thermos out of her jacket and offered it out to him, waiting expectantly for him to take it.

When he did not, her smile slipped a bit. "It's… chicken soup," she said awkwardly. "You like that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Keitaro said softly, finally taking the thermos and setting it between his feet. "Thanks, Shinobu."

"Could I, umm… sit down with you?"

"Sure."

"It's so cold," Shinobu exclaimed, settling in right next to him and giving him a sideways glance. "Aren't you freezing, Sempai?"

Keitaro shrugged. "It's not that cold," he said. "Actually, compared to yesterday, it's pretty warm."

"I guess so."

As casually as she could, Shinobu leaned back, putting her hands flat on the roof and letting the pinky finger on her right hand rest lightly against Keitaro's left one. Making sure he didn't move too fast, Keitaro pulled his hand away, using it to open the thermos so Shinobu would know he wasn't sickened by her touch or anything like that.

"Smells great," he said honestly. "Thanks."

Shinobu smiled happily. "Sure."

Waiting as he sipped from the thermos, Shinobu made idle patterns in the snow with her fingers, clearly waiting for him to finish before speaking again.

_No way around it,_ Keitaro thought. _The soups good, but I can't sip it forever. Eventually it'll be gone, so I might as well just get this over with._

"Is there something else you needed?"

"No," Shinobu said immediately. "Just… don't stay up here too long, Sempai… I don't want you to catch a cold."

"Ok."

Shinobu fell silent, leaning back again to look up at the sky. After a few moments, she turned towards him, her breath puffing in small clouds from her lips as she tentatively moved closer to his face, hesitated, then pulled back and rose to her feet, her cheeks flushed with color as she dusted the snow off of her pants.

"S-see you later, then," she stammered, nearly dashing from the rooftop and leaving Keitaro staring after her, his mouth hanging open in amazement as – like Kitsune – he realized what had almost happened.

_What's GOING to happen,_ he corrected himself, staring down at his hands, pink from handling the snow, _if I don't find a way to stop this._

Throwing his hands up in the air, he pitched back into the snow and closed his eyes, letting the cold seep into his bones until he was shaking all over, because – of all the girls in the Hinata – only Shinobu made it perfectly clear what she felt, and while it made him feel dirty to even contemplate it, he realized…

…that he really, really wanted her to kiss him.

Continued…

And now, courtesy of Hawker-748 – an omake!

Motoko entered Keitaro's room quickly, and shut the door behind her, locking it. Unconsciously, she held the robe tighter around herself as she nervously looked around the room.

Then a faint frown creased her graceful features. "Sensei, I don't think you have the right idea about this sketch."

"Why do you say that Motoko?"

"Why are the lights dimmed?" she asked him.

"I thought it would put you at ease, and the shadows will look lovely," Keitaro easily replied.

"When did you get a loveseat?"

"It's comfortable for me when I sketch."

Motoko's frown deepened. "When did you have colored lights installed?"

Swallowing once, Keitaro said, "The different colors can make for some nice looks when sketching a subject."

"Really... Why is there music playing?"

"To-to set the mood," Keitaro stammered, now visibly sweating.

To Motoko, the sounds of "Candyshop" by 50 Cent created only a foul mood. She walked past Keitaro to where her sword was mounted. "Why did you have a pole installed?" she growled, her eyebrow starting to twich dangerously.

"It-it-it helps me with my stretching," a now frightened Keitaro replied.

Taking hold of her sword, Motoko turned on Keitaro, a chillingly sweet smile on her face. "One last question."

"Y-yes?" Keitaro was now feeling a strong urge to urinate, and he was glancing nervously at the door, mentally calculating if he could escape before Motoko fell upon him.

Her beautiful features twisted in anger, Motoko bellowled, "Why do you have a neon sign that says 'Champagne Room' in here?"

"K-Kitsune gave it to me," Keitaro squeaked faintly.

"DIE!"

At the outburst, Kitsune looked up from her glass of alcohol, shaking her head sadly.

"Now that he had coming..."

End Omake

Author's notes: I don't really have any notes for this chapter, actually.

To Plug – if you're reading this, kindly drop me an e-mail. I can't find you on ffnet anymore, and I wanted to ask you a couple things. Thanks.

Hawker-748 pre-read and kept me in check on characterization… which has to be a lot of work. Doesn't someone want to donate a copy of Love Hina to me for research? No? Sigh… didn't really think so…


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 8

By Random1377

Kitsune stumbled a bit as she made her way up the Hinata's staircase, wondering when it had gotten so long. "Mmm too far," she complained, glancing at her right hand with mild confusion. "What happened to my drink? Oh yeah… dumped it on that prick's head…"

What had possessed her to go out with a coworker, she still was unsure, but it had seemed like a good idea when she said yes.

"KeiKeiiii," she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "KeiKei, where arrrrre youuuu?"

She sighed.

_What am I doing? I'm shouting for some guy that ALMOST kissed me to come save me from some loser that DID kiss me… God, I am some kind of drunk… and what is that annoying tapping sound? Sounds like a typewriter._

Blinking, she realized that she was hearing the sound of shoes on stone – or rather, Keitaro's shoes on the stairs as he hurried to her side.

"What?" he asked urgently. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Kitsune echoed. "Nothing's wrong besides the fact that the stairs won't stop spinning."

Keitaro took a good look at her, clearly looking for broken bones or visible bleeding. "You were shouting for me," he said lamely. "I thought you were hurt."

"Ohhh," Kitsune grinned. "You heard me."

"Heard you? You were bellowing at the top of your lungs – everyone heard you."

Put her hands on her cheeks in mock amazement. "I thought I was whispering."

"Have one too many tonight, Kitsune?" Keitaro offered, blushing as he held out his hand for her to take.

"KeiKei honey, I've had a _few_ too many," Kitsune said happily. "I mean really like, a _lot_ too many."

"So I see."

Kitsune ran a hand through her hair. "Help me to bed?"

Though the mere mention of bed made Keitaro weak in the knees, he nodded, gingerly slipping an arm around Kitsune's waist as she leaned against him.

"My hero," she crooned, laughing out loud as they stumbled up the stairs. "Mmm… worst date ever," she lamented as they somehow managed to reach her room push the door open. "Few drinks and he thinks I'll sleep with him – I'm not that kind of girl!" She snorted suddenly. "Gotta buy me dinner, first."

"Er, sorry it was a bad date," Keitaro muttered uncomfortably.

Kitsune smiled drunkenly. "If you don't stop being so sweet I'm gonna eat you up."

Trying to remind himself that the girl was tanked, Keitaro mumbled, "I wouldn't taste good… too stringy."

Pressing herself closer to his side, Kitsune breathed, "Yeah you would… I can tell just by looking at you, Keitaro."

"Uh well, here's your bed," Keitaro babbled, trying not to notice that Kitsune was, once again, braless. "See you in the morning."

"Ooo," Kitsune hummed, resting her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him, "you're still gonna be here?" Slowly, she brought her mouth up next to Keitaro's ear. "Can you keep a secret?"

"W-w-what?" Keitaro stammered, squirming uncomfortably as Kitsune leaned more of her weight against him, trapping him up against the wall.

"Promise you won't tell?" she breathed, nuzzling his ear with her lips. "Cross your heart?"

Keitaro nearly pointed out that she would need to let him move his arms to be able to do that, but decided that simply mumbling, "Sure, I promise," would be easier.

Kitsune pressed herself even closer, molding her body to his as she licked her lips, inadvertently brushing Keitaro's ear with the tip of her tongue and drawing a tiny yelp of surprise from him.

"Can't tell anyone, ever…" she whispered, "just between the two of us… our secret…"

Nearly swooning, his brain traveling in every direction, Keitaro barely managed to gasp, "Ok."

With every curve of her body glued to his, Kitsune licked her lips a second time before uttering her simply, three word secret.

"I'm a virgin…"

Had he not been caught at such an awkward angle, Keitaro would have gaped at her… but as her face was directly next to his, all he could do was turn his eyes her way. "Wh-what?"

"I know," Kitsune giggled, hearing the incredulity in his voice. "I'll bet you thought I sleep around all the time… but the truth is that I act like I do because being close to guys really, really scares me." She rested her cheek against his shoulder. "I've never even… let a guy touch me before. If they get too close, there's always an excuse to push them away…"

Keitaro found that he had absolutely no idea how to reply to this sudden confession.

After a moment of quiet, Kitsune whispered, "I've never found a guy I feel comfortable with. I'm twenty-one years old – can you believe that? A twenty-one year old girl that's never even been touched."

"I can… believe that," Keitaro said sympathetically.

"Keitaro?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it… make me a slut if I found a guy I was really into – you know, a guy I was comfortable with, who made me laugh, and really cared about me… and I slept with him right after we started dating?"

"Well, I don't… have any experience with… with stuff like that," Keitaro mumbled, "but if you loved him, and you knew it was what you wanted… no, I don't think sleeping with one person makes you a slut."

"Keitaro?"

"Yeah?"

"….you don't know any guys like that, do you? Because I really need to get laid."

Keitaro barked a short laugh, caught off guard by this sudden, light joke. "No," he chuckled, "I don't, really."

"Mmm," Kitsune hummed, "too bad… because I only know one… and he's too preoccupied to notice me."

"Anyone I know?" Keitaro asked lightly.

Pulling back for a moment, Kitsune gave him a soft, tipsy smile. "If you did, would you hook me up with him?"

Keitaro returned her smile. "Would it make you happy?"

"It would."

"Then yeah, I'd try."

Kitsune nodded, licking her lips as she said, "Ok, he's about five nine, kinda blackish-brown hair, brown eyes… cute smile… umm… wears glasses… likes to sketch."

Keitaro averted his eyes. "Sounds like a cool guy," he mumbled, his back stiffening as Kitsune's fingers stroked the back of his neck.

"He is," Kitsune whispered. "He really, really… is… and I think I'm falling for him."

"M-maybe you should tell him."

Kitsune let out a long, deep sigh, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging him tightly. "I can't," she said tiredly. "Too many other people love him…"

Keitaro opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Kitsune turned and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"You should go now."

"Huh? How c-"

"Because I'm about to do something I'll regret in the morning."

Planting a hand on his chest, Kitsune pushed him out of the room, slipping the door closed and leaning up against it to keep him from pulling it back open. She closed her eyes as a soft, hesitant knock sounded on the thin wood… but she offered no reply.

Eventually, she heard footsteps padding away from her door.

"Liar," she whispered to herself, pushing away from the door and staggering over to collapse onto her futon.

"…you wouldn't have regretted it at all."

( 0 0 0 )

Keitaro drew careful lines on his sketchpad, taking great pains to detach himself from any conscious thought as he painstakingly detailed the steel rose Motoko had given him. Where thinking about art helped him avoid uncomfortable thought patterns, actually sketching something enabled him to go into a Zen-like state of nothingness, where all that mattered was his subject and his paper.

Motoko had noticed and identified his meditative trance when he had drawn her, but at the time, she had been too wrapped up in her own issues to comment on it or retain it at a conscious level.

And Keitaro, just then, had a lot of reasons to avoid thinking.

_I really should use colors in my drawings,_ he mused, forcing himself to stay focused as his thoughts tried to clamor for attention. _Maybe I could even figure out a way to do a color wash on the rose – add some red to the petals, green to the leaves… I wonder how that would look…_

So engrossed was he in drawing that he missed the tentative knock on his door the first two times.

"It's open," he called on the third knock, keeping his eyes on the sketchbook as his door slid open and Shinobu stood on the threshold.

"Sempai?"

"Hm?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Walking nervously to his side, Shinobu knelt and gazed over his shoulder. "Amazing," she whispered. "It looks just like it."

Keitaro smiled, pleased by the praise. "Thanks," he said honestly. "I'm not good at sports, or studying… or anything else besides cleaning, really, so sketching is all I can do to kill time."

Shinobu nodded. "It's the same with me," she said. "I'm good at cooking, but I don't get very good grades at school and I'm not on any teams or anything because I'm… I'm so small – but I try not to let it bother me, Sempai, and neither should you."

"Thanks, Shinobu," Keitaro said, deciding that this was a very grown-up viewpoint for such a young girl. "I'll try not to."

"Hey Sempai?"

"Yeah?"

"There's… a new Chow Yun Fat action movie starting this weekend, and I remember you said you liked him, right?"

"Uh huh."

"So maybe… we could go see it?" Shinobu asked hesitantly. "We could ask Motoko and Su – you know, like last time. They liked the play, right?"

"Yeah," Keitaro said, glancing from the rose to his sketch and back again. "Yeah that sounds like fun…"

_And Su will suddenly have to be somewhere, _he thought, _and Motoko won't feel like going… and then it'll be just the two of us. Again._

"Hey, Shinobu," he said, looking up from his sketch. "Maybe…"

"Yes?" Shinobu asked. "What is it, Sempai?"

He couldn't do it.

Staring into her bright, shining eyes, Keitaro could not bring himself to say, 'I think you should understand that I just see you as a friend,' the words he had so carefully orchestrated over the past few nights. The hope in her eyes was too much. He had to look away.

"…maybe we should catch a late show this time," he said lamely, "you know, get some dinner first or something."

_God, I'm such a wimp,_ he thought miserably. _But I can't just tell her no… I can't…_

"That sounds great! Umm, night K-Keitaro…"

Keitaro looked up, shocked by the sudden, bold use of his name… but all he caught was the swirl of Shinobu's skirt as she swept out of the room.

"Great," he echoed, looking down at his sketch. "Yeah… great…"

The frantic denial stage had passed, moving Keitaro into numb acceptance. _What can I do?_ he thought, scratching a few extra details into the rose on the sketchpad. _Naru_ _barely talks to me anymore… Motoko's CIVIL, but that's about it. Kitsune is…_

He let that thought line go, since it just dead ended in confusion and dull, throbbing headaches.

"Why," he whispered to himself, studying his drawing for a long moment. "Why oh why oh why does stuff like this _only_ happen to me?"

Throwing himself backward onto his futon, Keitaro gave up on thinking for the evening. It just seemed like the best thing to do just then…

( 0 0 0 )

Motoko pushed Naru's door open without bothering to knock, steeling herself for the confrontation she was about to provoke. _This has gone on long enough,_ she thought, stepping inside as Naru looked up from her homework. _There is too much unhappiness in this place, now… it is time to put an end to it._

"Hey," Naru said carefully, "what's up?"

"I came to talk about Keitaro," Motoko said evenly. "I'd like to know what's going on between you two, since you haven't spoken to him in nearly a week." She waited for a moment to see if Naru had anything to say before she concluded, "Essentially, what I'd like to know is if you're really giving up on him after everything that's happened between you two."

Naru stared at her for a long, long moment, her eyes entirely unreadable as she simply inhaled and exhaled, showing no sign that she had even heard Motoko's bold questions.

"He's with Shinobu now," she mumbled finally, looking back to her homework. "It's outta my hands."

"Are you really ok with that?" Motoko asked softly. "I know… that you care for him, Naru, so-"

"It doesn't matter whether I'm ok with it or not," Naru cut in flatly. "I asked, Motoko – point blank, 'Do you want to be with me?' and he kept finding reasons not to. Now tell me, why should I keep trying when he doesn't even want me?"

Motoko bit her bottom lip. "Well," she said carefully, "do you love him?"

"Yes!" Naru exploded, hurling her pencil across the room. "No! I don't know anymore! I thought I did, but you know what? All this studying, all the time away from him… it's been easy on me, you know? Really easy… so if it's that easy for me to just push him out of my mind, can I say it's love? I thought if you loved someone, they were supposed to be on your mind all the time."

"I don't know," Motoko admitted. "I don't really know much about being in love."

Naru sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I think you do," she said bluntly. "The way you look at Keitaro sometimes… I didn't want to say anything before, since I wasn't sure what I was doing, but when you guys were engaged, I could tell that you were thinking about letting it stand."

_How does she know that?_ Motoko thought guiltily.

"Perhaps at the time," she said coolly, "but now I-"

"Wait," Naru said softly. "I want to say something."

"Hmm?"

"I think you love Keitaro."

"N-Naru!"

"And I think Kitsune loves him," Naru continued, "and I _know_ for a fact that Shinobu loves him." She shrugged ironically, adding, "Su says she's married to him, so we know how she feels… and yes, I think I love him too… but I don't think that I'm _in_ love with him. Now before you get all pissy, I don't know if you're in love with him either, but I don't have any problem saying that everyone in this dump loves that dumbass one way or another."

Motoko pursed her lips. "Fair enough."

"But what I know right now is that I _can't_ spend time worrying about how I love him, because I've got too many other things going on. I've laid my cards on the table, Motoko, and he's keeping his up against his chest. The ball's in his court, the next move is his, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

"Just like that?"

Naru threw her hands in the air. "No, not 'just like that,'" she said irritably. "You think I haven't thought about this since that night? God, it's all I _have_ thought about – and it's getting in the way. Maybe it's a copout, but it's just too much for me to think about it anymore, so I'm not going to. Can you understand that?"

Motoko took a deep breath.

"Yes… I think I can."

"Good, then are we done here?"

Shaking her head, Motoko replied, "The matter of Shinobu is still-"

"I'm out," Naru cut in sharply. "Look, I know he's in a bad position, but I literally can _not_ help him on this one. If he'd said yes," she drew a shaky breath, "if he'd said yes, it would have been an easy out, but-"

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Motoko interrupted. "Keitaro's right – it would have crushed her if he told her that you – or I, or Kitsune, or anyone that lives here – was the reason they couldn't be together."

Naru shrugged. "Again," she said coolly, "this can't be my problem anymore."

Averting her eyes, Motoko nodded. "I understand," she said smoothly. "Then, I'll leave you alone now."

As she moved to the door, Naru whispered, "Hey."

Motoko looked back over her shoulder.

Though her eyes were on her books, Motoko could see that Naru's cheeks were red.

"I'm sorry."

Sighing, Motoko pushed the door open. "Me too," she said quietly, "but I understand."

Without another word, she left, making sure to close the door behind her… because if Naru was going to cry, Motoko did not want to see it – not because she was not empathetic, but because if she tried to comfort her, Naru would just push her away.

And to be in a position where she knew someone else was hurting and could do nothing about it was more than Motoko could bear just then.

Continued…

Author's notes: no notes for this chapter.

Hawker-748 pre-read for me and corrected several flaws, because I'm still too poor to buy the manga for myself.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 9

By Random1377

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Motoko stood alone on the Hinata Sou's roof, practicing with her blade in the bright light of the full, winter moon. She was covered in sweat, her face glistening in the cold air as she brought the blade down again and again in a neat, smooth arc. The sweat felt good on her face in spite of the bracing cold, giving her a sense of comfort and familiarity. It was pure and clean and free of the dust and debris that sometimes got on her when she did housework with Keitaro.

This was a warrior's sweat.

_I was never cut out to be a maid,_ she thought, switching positions and changing to a diagonal slash. _I'll leave that to sen- to Keitaro and Shinobu. …though it may be difficult, with them dating._

Moving on instinct, Motoko spun on her heel, swinging her blade sideways and catching a small droplet of snow as it dripped from the tree hanging over the Hinata's roof.

Smiling with satisfaction, she flicked the snow off of her sword. _Not that it's any of my concern,_ she thought, raising her blade overhead once more. _She wants to be more grown up? Fine. He wants to grope underage girls? Who am I to stop him?_

She gritted her teeth.

"Focus," she whispered, trying to hold her anger as it threatened to shift into confusion. "Honestly, if Shinobu and Keitaro…"

Motoko trailed off as she spied a large white crane soaring overhead, impossible to miss in the otherwise starless sky.

"Shippu," she breathed, tracking the majestic bird with her eyes for a moment.

As it turned to the south, the realization of what this implied hit Motoko like a hammer.

"…sister."

Without a second thought, Motoko sheathed her blade and dashed to the stairs, tearing through the house until she reached the ground floor and searching for only a moment before finding her sister's bird winging off into the forest.

Trees blurred past as Motoko gave chase, whipping past as she drove deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the Hinata until finally… her goal was in sight.

"Good evening."

Skidding to a halt, Motoko gave a guarded nod. "Good evening, sister."

Tsuruko lifted her arm, allowing Shippu to perch upon it for a moment before sending the bird back up into the sky, where it flew off in the general direction of the Hinata. "I've come to see how you are progressing," she announced calmly. "Are you prepared?"

"Yes," Motoko said, straightening her back and giving her sister a formal bow. "I believe I am, sister. I believe… that I have come to understand what I must understand before progressing."

Eyeing her coolly, Tsuruko returned the bow.

"Tell me, then, what you have learned."

Motoko met her sister's eyes. "I have learned that I cannot be as patient as Keitaro," she said bluntly. "I have learned that, yes, he is a decent person… but he is still too weak willed for me to learn anything from him. I feel that this is sufficient to allow me to progress to the next level, sister, and I will tell you why." She took a deep breath. "The test, I believe, was not to see if I could learn patience… it was to see if I could understand that some things cannot change. It was to show me that, while I can grow _more_ patient, I cannot become _as_ patient as Keitaro, because that is not how I was brought up."

Tsuruko nodded. "Very interesting observations," she said neutrally. "I would agree with you on the question of patience, and your lack of it. Very few people on this Earth are as patient as your manager friend. It is wise of you to admit that achieving his level of tolerance is impossible for you. Well done, sister… but I'm afraid you still have not learned the lesson I was attempting to teach."

"Then… I've failed?" Motoko whispered. "I did try, sister – I tried very hard."

"Ahh, but what did you try?"

"To… to be like him."

Tsuruko smiled softly. "And you are so sure that this was the goal I had in mind for you?" Motoko opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Tsuruko murmured, "What became of the rose?"

Motoko winced. "I gave it to Keitaro as a token of my apprenticeship," she said. "I… I thought that was what you wanted me to do."

"Indeed it was," Tsuruko said, smiling faintly as her younger sister heaved a sigh of relief. "I wanted you to give it to him to symbolize that things are not always what they seem, for example… something that appears fragile on the outside can be strong within."

"Yes," Motoko said eagerly. "Yes, that's exactly what I told him!"

Tsuruko's smile grew sad. "And," she continued, "to show that even something once bright can grow dull and lifeless if left in the darkness too long. Dear sister, may I tell you why you failed?"

Caught up in her sister's lilting, even voice, Motoko could only nod.

"You failed to see the other side of the coin," Tsuruko said gently. "Something that seems fragile may be strong within… but something that seems strong may really be delicate and fragile once you peel back the surface. What did Keitaro say when you gave the rose to him?"

"Well," Motoko said, trying to remember the exact conversation, "not much. He was confused that I was… showing weakness, and he tried to refuse it at first, until I explained its symbolism. Oh, and he thought it was made of silver, but I-"

"It is… made of silver."

Motoko shook her head. "No, sister, you are mistaken," she corrected, "I looked at it when you gave it to me. It's steel – silver is shinier."

Tsuruko gazed up at the starry sky overhead, refusing to meet her sister's eyes as she said, "Silver left exposed too long begins to tarnish, growing dark and lifeless – until it appears somewhat like old, unpolished steel. If you look closely, though, you can see the silver trying to shine through, to break away from its prison and show its brilliance for the world to see. I hinted that you should give the rose to your manager friend… but I had hoped, or rather, prayed, that you would understand what, exactly, it meant."

Putting a steadying hand on a nearby tree, Motoko gasped, "Then the rose is… is him – and me. It's both of us… right? Is that what you wanted me to see? That he is strong in ways, and I am weak in ways? But sister, I already knew those things, unless-" she cut herself off, her head whipping up as understanding dawned in her eyes. "Unless you're… you're not saying that _I'm_ the one whose brilliance is fading… are you?"

With a deep, sad sigh, Tsuruko put her hand on Motoko's head. "Strength untempered by compassion is what you hold," she whispered evenly. "It is the same as the old saying about power and responsibility, sister, with one _must_ come the other, or you will become too hardened and bitter. In time, your strength will grow… but if your kindness and understanding stagnate, you will never evolve as a friend, lover, or samurai." Lightly, she stroked Motoko's hair. "Forgive me, Motoko… I could not avoid giving you such a difficult task."

Abruptly, Motoko took a step back. "No," she said softly, "no, I won't accept it. There must be another way – I did learn the lesson, sister… there has to be a way to advance."

To her surprise, Tsuruko's expression turned grim. "How astute to realize that there would be another way," she said calmly. "Very well."

Motoko shivered as her sister drew her blade, though instead of dropping into a stance, she thrust it high overhead, tilting it so it caught the moonlight and flicking her wrist several times as if she was trying to loosen her wrist.

_Signaling,_ Motoko thought suddenly, _she's signaling someone!_

Spinning on her heel, she whipped around, barely catching a returning flash from halfway across the forest.

"Here, then, is your other way," Tsuruko said softly, slowly sheathing her blade. "In five minutes, the rose will be taken from Keitaro's room, and when he returns from his evening with the young Miss Maehara in seven minutes, he will find a note from you saying that you took the rose back because you felt that he was not worthy of holding it in his filthy hands… and that you consider him an utter failure as an instructor and friend."

"Sister!" Motoko gasped. "You would… go that far?"

Tsuruko lifted her chin. "To help my sister reach her full potential," she said regally, "I would shake the heavens and the Earth. Four and a half minutes remain, sister… four and a half minutes to return to the Hinata and defeat your opponent before the rose is taken."

"Who?" Motoko asked, drawing her blade and finding her bearings.

_The Hinata is three minutes away,_ she thought quickly. …_if I run._

"You will know her when you see her…"

_Which means it will be you,_ Motoko thought, sparing no more time for her sister as she broke into a dead run. _You were always faster. You'll be there before me… but I will not back down, sister. In this, I will not fail._

Tsuruko watched for a moment as her younger sister tore down the path. "Best of luck, sister," she whispered gently. "You will need it, I'm afraid."

( 0 0 0 )

Keitaro looked up at the Hinata, sighing quietly as Shinobu walked along at his side, beaming happily as they mounted the stairs leading up to the boardinghouse.

_At least she seems happy,_ he thought, shooting the girl a sideways glance as she began humming under her breath. _The movie was ok… the dinner was good…_ he frowned suddenly. _So if this is a real date… does that mean she'll want me to kiss her goodnight?_

The thought made shivers run up and down his spine. Half of him wanted to simply run screaming into the Hinata and close his door, nailing boards over it while shouting that he wasn't a child molester… while the other half simply observed that Shinobu looked absolutely fantastic that evening, and that maybe a little kiss wouldn't be that bad – if it was just one, short one, of course.

_I wonder if I have split personalities,_ he thought dismally. _I have to let her know, tonight, that this won't work out. I have to…!_

His plan, which he had so carefully formulated, had been rather simple – avoid any contact except what was required to be polite, and then explain at the end of the date that being Shinobu's boyfriend just wouldn't work out. Unfortunately, he had ended up holding her hand through the movie, insisting on paying for dinner, even though it was near the end of the month and he was nearly broke, and even touching her on the small of the back as he helped her into the cab for the ride home.

Or in short: giving every sign that he was _very_ interested in making it a romantic date, rather than a friendly one.

_It's not too late,_ he reminded himself as they neared the top of the staircase. _I can still tell her it won't work out. God, look at that smile, though… this is going to break her heart! Maybe I-_

Shinobu cried out in shock as the front door of the Hinata abruptly burst open, and a body flew out of it, arching backward toward them as if launched from a howitzer.

"_Motoko!"_

Without thinking, Keitaro pushed Shinobu out of the way, spreading his arms and leaning forward a bit to brace himself for the impact as Motoko's back collided with his chest. "What-"

"Out of the way!"

Springing off of him, Motoko shoved him to the side, barely raising her blade as a whirlwind of steel darted out of the Hinata's front door.

_My…_ _God…_

Keitaro could only gape as the thing (he could not imagine a human moving at such speeds) fell on Motoko. Instantly, the air was filled with the sounds of metal on metal, and to his horror, Motoko was driven back again and again, retreating down the steps as her opponent unleashed a flurry of strokes so fast Keitaro's eyes could not keep up.

As quickly as it had begun, it was all over. Motoko's blade flew from her hand, spinning end over end to bury itself in a tree near the stairs, and less than a second later, something heavy slammed into her jaw, sending her to the rough stone steps as gracelessly as a falling boulder.

Like a clockwork toy with a broken spring, Motoko's attacker came to a complete halt, revealing… a rather short woman in a plain white gi. Long, white-streaked black hair was tied up in a simple ponytail at the base of her neck, and the twin blades in her hands seemed to be half the length of Motoko's, though as Keitaro had seen, they were no less deadly.

"This?" the woman whispered, gazing dispassionately down at Motoko's still form. "This is the best you can offer? After seventeen years of study, _this_ is the best you can do?"

Motoko forced herself upright, casting around groggily for her blade…but she froze immediately as the one of other woman's swords dipped under her chin, the tip touching her throat as her eyes widened in shock.

"Ahh, you finally recognize me," the woman said dryly, sheathing her second blade. "Bursting in like that and attacking without warning _almost_ allowed you to overwhelm me… you've always been strong, Motoko, no one's ever questioned that, but as your sister has told me so often, you still lack patience and focus." Her lips compressed to a thin line. "To think she gave you the rose her husband gave her as an engagement present in the hopes that you could reach the next level. …pathetic. Why it's almost enough to make me-"

"Keitaro, no!"

The woman glanced to her side at Motoko's outburst, but simply rolled her eyes as she found Keitaro brandishing Motoko's reclaimed sword in shaky hands. "Oh great," she mumbled. "The knight in shining armor has arrived."

"Leave her alone!" Keitaro gasped, his whole body shaking as he tightened his grip on the blade's hilt. "Just leave Motoko alone. I don't know why you're here, but if you hurt her I'll… I'll _never forgive you!_"

Motoko winced, but the short woman threw her head back and roared with laughter. "H-hurt her?" she gasped, slowly pulling her blade away from Motoko's throat. "Put that blade down, boy, or the only one that will be hurt is you – when you cut off your own fingers."

Finally regaining her composure, Motoko rose unsteadily to her feet and walked to Keitaro, laying her hand gently on his arm to ease the blade down to face the ground. "Easy," she whispered. "Easy, sensei, you-"

"This is your sensei?" the woman howled. "Oh, oh this is too much!"

Closing her eyes, Motoko mumbled, "Keitaro… please meet Chiharu Aoyama." She blushed as the woman fell over backward, holding her sides with unconcealed glee.

"Mother… this is Keitaro Urashima."

( 0 0 0 )

"Ahh," Keitaro said fifteen minutes later. "I get it now… so _you're_ the famous swordsman. I always thought it was Motoko's father."

"Most people do," Chiharu said evenly, taking a cup of tea from Shinobu with a murmured thanks. "And quite honestly, that's fine with me. People challenge you less if they think you're just a regular housewife." She smiled thinly. "It does irritate my husband a bit, though."

They were all sitting around the kitchen table, save for Shinobu, who was pouring more tea for Motoko and Keitaro and listening raptly as Chiharu explained why she was there. "So to sum up," she said finally, "this test was of my devising, and I am the one that will determine when my daughter is ready to move on."

"Umm, Sempai?" Shinobu said hesitantly. "I'm… going to bed, if that's ok." She smiled weakly as she added, "I'm kinda tired, and I think this is more between Motoko and her mother."

"Smart girl," Chiharu said levelly. "Goodnight then."

Shinobu, looking as if she very much wanted more of Keitaro's time, reluctantly bowed and made her exit.

Keitaro took the ensuing moment of silence to study the woman, deciding that she looked rather like a more compact, more mature version of Motoko. Her hair came down to the middle of her back, and the silver threads running through it were far less pronounced in the soft light of the kitchen, making her appear younger than a woman with two daughters, one of them in her early twenties, would normally be.

He could not tell much about her body, of course, since she was wearing a loose-fitting gi and, if she was like her daughters, bound her breasts… but his imagination was more than happy to suggest that she was probably proportioned like her children, though she was, he estimated, at least four inches shorter than Motoko, coming just barely under his nose when they had stood face to face in the entranceway of the Hinata Sou.

_I can see where Motoko and Tsuruko get their looks,_ he thought suddenly. _Not someone to mess with, though. I saw the way she kicked Motoko's ass, and the way she talked to her afterwards… all it would take is one wrong word or an accidental touch and she'd cut my head off, and I don't mean figuratively. Their father must be strong as hell._

Chiharu blew on her tea. "Now then," she said briskly, drawing Keitaro's attention back to the matter at hand. "Since it's just koheis and senseis here, let's get down to brass tacks. You want to know if there is any way to progress, am I correct, Motoko?"

"Yes," Motoko said immediately. "I know… that I did not exhibit wisdom, or strength, in this test. But, mother, I would like another chance. What must I do to earn that chance?"

"Nothing," Chiharu replied at once, calmly sipping her tea. "You failed to protect the rose, as you failed to realize its meaning. There will be no progression for you until I decide to test you again. And based on what I've seen here tonight, I feel you will be ready for another test in," she paused for another sip, "three years."

"Three… _years?_" Motoko gasped, slumping back in her seat. "Mother, that's unfair."

"Mm, call it what you will," Chiharu said neutrally. "But that is my final word on the matter."

"Umm… Misses Aoyama?"

"Yes Mister Urashima?"

"Please," Keitaro said slowly, "this is all that matters to Motoko. Isn't there another way? I'll help her any way I can…"

"Oh, how sweet," Chiharu said, putting a hand against her chest. "How moving – the concerned sensei, caring only for his kohei, willing to do whatever it takes to see her happy! I'm so… touched." She smiled, taking Keitaro's hand tightly in hers and smiling warmly as she said, "No, young man, there is no other way. There is nothing you can do, there is nothing she can do, and there is nothing anyone else can do. I've given my decree, and it's quite final." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I give you an A for heart, though. Touching… truly touching."

"Then… where do I go from here, mother?"

Chiharu released Keitaro's hand and regarded her daughter. "I can't see how this affects you in any way," she said smoothly. "A month ago you weren't even aware that there _was_ another level to be reached… so this should have no impact on your day to day life."

Motoko kept her eyes on the table as she whispered, "But to know that I am not progressing – to know that I am stagnating. Mother, it's… too much…"

For a very long moment, Chiharu studied her daughter.

"Interesting."

"Hmm?" Motoko hummed, finally lifting her head. "What's interesting?"

Chiharu turned her cup around on the table three times, seemingly formulating her response before she said, "In less than a month, you have learned a slight measure of self-control."

"Pardon?"

"I would not have thought it possible," Chiharu said thoughtfully. "Why, had I come here five weeks ago and told you all of this… you would have exploded. Interesting… interesting…"

Keitaro and Motoko stared at each other, dumbfounded, as Chiharu stroked her chin.

"Listen well, daughter," she said finally, "for these will be my final words to you for the evening. You asked where you should go from here, and while I think you already know, I will tell you. Continue your studies. Hone your body and your mind. Prepare for the day I come back to test you again, and then, I am positive… you will not fail."

Motoko's hands clenched desperately at her gi, but she kept her voice from cracking as she softly replied, "Yes, mother."

"And."

"And?"

Chiharu turned her steely gaze on Keitaro. "And whatever it is you're teaching her, sensei, I would ask that you keep it up. My daughter has never been long on patience, and it seems to me that you have found a way to touch her heart. For that, I thank you. For this lovely tea, I thank the young lady that made it. Now, I must go, for my daughter is not my only obligation. Good evening to you both."

Keitaro, who had come to think of the woman as a force of nature rather than a person, fully expected her to vanish in a cloud of smoke… but she simply lifted her cup and drank the last of her tea, rose to her feet, bowed, and walked out the front door of the Hinata Sou without another word.

( 0 0 0 )

"Your jaw ok?"

Motoko glanced over her shoulder, nodding as Keitaro came out of the Hinata to join her at the railing. "It'll bruise," she said evenly. "I deserve it."

Keitaro rested his hands on the railing, looking out over the town. "Just because you couldn't figure out the rose thing?"

"No," Motoko replied, "because if it had been a life and death struggle to protect someone I loved… they would have suffered – and that is unforgivable. A little bruise is nothing compared to the pain of a loved one. It will remind me to work harder."

Smiling faintly, Keitaro countered, "Don't they always say to work smarter, not harder?"

Motoko gave him a sharp, sideways glance. "Are you mocking me?"

Keitaro looked up at the stars. "Nah," he said softly, "now that you have your sword back, you're too dangerous."

"Oh, and I wasn't before?" Motoko wondered, arching an eyebrow. "I don't need my blade to teach you a lesson, if I need to." She assessed him for a long moment before adding, "But I think you're safe for now."

"Thank goodness," Keitaro murmured. And from his tone, it was clear that he was only half joking.

"So…"

He turned to face her. "So…?"

"Would you mind if I continued spending time with you?" Motoko asked hesitantly. "You heard my mother, so… you know the reasons why."

"Sure," Keitaro said firmly, "I'd be glad to help."

Motoko smiled ruefully. "I wanted this so bad, Keitaro," she whispered. "Funny, isn't it? She was right – a month ago I didn't even know there was more to learn, and now it's all I can think about."

Tentatively, Keitaro put an arm around her, ready to pull back if this was too much intimacy. He heaved a sigh of relief as Motoko leaned against him, thankful to have someone to support her. "I know it meant a lot to you," he said awkwardly, "but this way at least you'll have lots of time to prepare yourself. I think your mom was right, Motoko, when she comes back to test you again, you'll pass without even trying. And there's something else, too."

"What?" Motoko wondered, glancing at Keitaro's profile as he looked out over the town.

"This way," he said slowly, "you can pass your entrance exams… and go to school with Naru and me before you have to go train." Smiling, he looked timidly into her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Naru would like that… and I… I know I would."

Motoko felt her cheeks color. "Yeah," she said softly. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

Keitaro nodded firmly. "It will be."

With her hopes suddenly revived, Motoko felt her lips curving up in a bright smile. _He really does have pretty eyes,_ she thought, as Keitaro returned her smile. _Nice eyes, strong hands, soft lips, good…_

Motoko's heart skipped a beat.

…_lips?_

It was quite a shock to her to realize that her lips were pressed tightly against Keitaro's and that the front of his shirt was clenched in her fists as his arms wrapped around her. She tried to decide if he was kissing her (unlikely), or if she was kissing him (also unlikely, but the more probable of the two options), but ultimately gave up, deciding that she would rather focus on the reality of the kiss than its origins.

Because it felt pretty damn good.

"W-well," she said, finally breaking away. "I, umm… should get to bed. Lots of training to catch up on… lots of training…"

"Right," Keitaro replied, quickly letting her go. "Right, sure. Umm… sorry…"

Though half of her mind was screaming, 'Damn right you are!' she found her lips forming an entirely different sentiment.

"Don't be."

The brilliant red of her blush clashing with the spreading purple of her bruise, Motoko pushed past Keitaro before he could stop her, hurrying to her room as the words, _What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing?_ ran over and over through her mind.

Just one more question that had no immediate answer.

Continued…

Author's notes: as I understand it, Motoko's mother is never mentioned anywhere in the series, and the only background information we have on her is that she is 'the daughter of a famous kendo master,' though, to my knowledge, it does not specify that this is her FATHER, and even if it does, all the Aoyama women are strong, so there's nothing saying that her mother isn't ALSO a kendo master. That's my story, I'm sticking to it, and I defy anyone to show me I'm wrong, dang it!

Hawker-748 pre-read yet again, and provided much information on Motoko's background… so if any of it's wrong, it's really his fault. Mehehehe


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 10

By Random1377

Slowly stirring her coffee, Kitsune sat alone at the kitchen table, thankful that the Hinata was quiet for a change since it gave her throbbing head a chance to settle a bit. Arranged in front of her were the essentials for recovering from a hangover – the aforementioned coffee, a bottle of aspirin, some toast, and a bottle of sake, in case she decided for a little hair of the dog that bit her.

_What day is it…?_

It didn't matter, she supposed, not at that hour anyway.

She'd find out before it was time to be at work, so for the time being, it would be best to clear up the pain in her head in case she was confronted with any unpleasant conversations.

"Oh, good morning Kitsune."

_Gah, too late…_

"Good morning, Shinobu."

Kitsune eyed the younger girl over the rim of her mug, watching her flit around the room like a hummingbird on speed.

"Well someone's in a damn good mood," she muttered, trying not to be irritated as Shinobu began to make breakfast, singing to herself under her breath. "Guess your date last night was a success, then."

"Uh huh," Shinobu said brightly, looking as if she was bursting at the seams to fill the older girl in on the affair. "It was _almost_ perfect."

"Almost?"

Shinobu blushed.

"He didn't kiss me…"

_Well,_ Kitsune thought, _I've ALMOST kissed him… twice. Does that count?_

To Shinobu, she said, "You should have just kissed _him_. Don't wait for him to make a move."

"I wanted to," Shinobu confessed, "but then Motoko's mother was here, and they were talking, and I couldn't."

Kitsune's stomach did an odd flip-flop.

"You were… really going to kiss him?"

Nodding, Shinobu repeated, "I wanted to. I really, really wanted to."

_If they hadn't been there to stop you…_

Kitsune sipped her coffee, grimacing at its bitterness. "You could always just… walk up and kiss him, I guess."

_Stop that,_ Kitsune thought, putting a hand on her stomach as Shinobu considered this advice. _Settle down, stupid stomach – I'll get some food in you in a second…_

Only, it wasn't hunger causing her discomfort.

And she knew it.

"I couldn't do that," Shinobu said finally. "It's… it would have to be on a date, or it wouldn't feel right."

"Oh come on," Kitsune said, trying to sound cool, "I do it all the time."

For the first time Kitsune could remember, Shinobu looked disapproving. "I know," she said quietly, quickly looking away as she added, "but I'm not like you."

_Ouch,_ Kitsune winced. _Guess I left myself open for that one, but still… ouch._

"Well," she said evenly, "I'm sure you'll get the nerve some day."

"Tomorrow."

"Hmm?"

"I asked him out tomorrow," Shinobu clarified. "I'll… I'm going to do it tomorrow."

Rising to her feet, Kitsune gulped down her coffee, spilling a bit on the table as she suddenly realized that she wasn't hungry enough to eat in the same room with this self-righteous little girl. "Yeah, good luck on that."

"Is… something wrong, Kitsune-sempai?" Shinobu asked hesitantly. "You look a little pale."

"Nothing," Kitsune said flatly, carrying her plate to the garbage and dumping the toast into it with a perfunctory flick of her wrist. "…nothing at all."

Ignoring Shinobu's questioning glance, Kitsune left the kitchen, making sure to grab the bottle of sake on her way out the door. Had she already been drinking, the sharp, borderline cruel question that had swum up in her mind might have found its way past her lips.

_You're lucky I'm sober, Shinobu…_

( 0 0 0 )

Motoko wiped the last traces of spilt coffee off of the kitchen table and nodded to herself with satisfaction. It was remarkably warm outside, so the windows had been opened a bit, letting in a pleasant, if slightly bracing breeze drift through the Hinata Sou. And Motoko… Motoko felt good.

The odd thing was, she knew she shouldn't.

By all rights, she should have felt confused and ashamed. She had, after all, kissed Keitaro the night before, and then let him know – rather boldly – that his passionate reciprocation was not only acceptable, but welcomed.

_Well,_ she thought in her own defense, _we WERE engaged…_

Granted, that had been dissolved, and they had moved in opposite directions ever since, but hadn't she asked him if it would a bad thing for them to stay married? What had changed between then and now – other than conscious suppression and denial of her own feelings?

"Nothing, really," she whispered, dropping the dishrag in the laundry, "except the realization that it could never work out."

But… could it now?

_Naru's_ _pulled away,_ Motoko thought suddenly, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the kitchen. _Kitsune_ _SAYS she doesn't feel anything for him, but clearly either does not know WHAT she feels, or has no idea how to express herself. Shinobu is, quite honestly, too young to truly vie for his affections, which leaves… me._

Motoko frowned quite deeply as she came to two simultaneous realizations – first, that in spite of her dismissal of the girl, she still considered Shinobu a threat… and second, that she had just declared, even if only in her mind, that she was vying for Keitaro's affections. It also came to her with a rather sharp jolt that Keitaro had never replied when she had asked him how he felt about staying married to her.

_It's just like Naru said,_ she thought, starting towards the living room, _everyone here loves him… and that includes me, I can't deny that. But what I cannot say with any certainty is how deep-_

"Motoko," a lazy, mellifluous voice interrupted her thoughts, "I knocked, but no one came, so I just let myself in."

Blinking, Motoko found herself face to face with the x factor – the one person she had failed to take into account in the merry-go-round of affections, passions, and twisted up emotions.

"Mutsumi?"

"Hiiiii…"

The brown-haired girl's greeting turned into a breathless sigh as she pitched forward, slumping gracelessly into Motoko's arm, completely unconscious.

_He…avy…_

Motoko spread her feet, finding a firmer center of gravity to keep herself from tipping over as she hustled the other girl over to the couch and laid her down. "Keitaro," she called, checking Mutsumi's wrist for a pulse – just in case.

"…company."

( 0 0 0 )

"It's so good to see you all."

Keitaro nodded along with everyone else as Mutsumi continued to gush.

"It feels like I haven't been here for months," she was saying, "but it hasn't been that long, has it?"

"Actually," Naru mumbled, scratching the side of her nose, "it has."

"Has it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my…!" Mutsumi exclaimed, rising to a sitting position and taking the cold compress Shinobu had gotten for her off of her forehead. "Has it really?"

"Yeah," Naru repeated, "two months – to the day."

Giving Naru a sunny, if a bit dizzy smile, Mutsumi said, "But I thought you guys called me to go see a movie… or was it a musical…? Hmm…"

"It was a play," Motoko said calmly, "and you were too busy. But before that it had still been a few weeks since you came by."

"Oh," Mutsumi hummed. "Is that so? Hm. Ah well."

"Tama missed you," Su announced, holding the turtle up for Mutsumi to see. "I promised I wouldn't make him into soup until he got to say goodbye."

"Ugh," Motoko mumbled, averting her eyes as Mutsumi smiled and gave the turtle a pat on the head. "You're too considerate. If it was up to me, I'd say just cook the thing and get it over with."

"Tonight," Su declared, holding Tama over her head like a tribal warrior with a small sacrifice, "for husband's dinner!"

Keitaro grinned sickly as everyone turned to him. "It's… heh, it's just a little game we're playing."

"You'd better not be playing any other games," Naru threatened darkly, suggestively pounding her fist into her palm as she glared at Keitaro. "Because if I find out it's really 'doctor,' then…"

"…you'll have more than Naru to answer to," Motoko concluded, stroking the hilt of her blade with the ball of her thumb.

"My, my," Mutsumi sighed as Keitaro held his hands up in defense, "it's always so lively here."

Clearing her throat, Shinobu took a discrete step closer to Keitaro. "Will you be staying a while?" she asked, clearly anxious to get the focus off of what Keitaro may or may not be playing with Su.

"Ohh, may I?"

Before Keitaro could reply, Kitsune appeared in the doorway, surveying the room with a critical eye before locking onto the unlucky manager and slinking over to him. "She can sleep in my room," she offered, draping herself against Keitaro's side and throwing an arm around his shoulders. "I wouldn't mind the company… as long as she doesn't mind hanging out with me and KeiKei while we study."

"S-study?" Keitaro echoed, shifting nervously as Kitsune's thin tank top threatened to slip lower than it already had. "Study what?"

"Don't you remember?" Kitsune said innocently. "You offered to tutor me so I could get into Toudai with you all."

_Yeah,_ Keitaro thought, _I remember you talking about it the other day, but I thought you were kidding… mostly because you also talked about painting the Hinata bright pink and having your name changed to Lola._

He was trying to vocalize this thought, but with Kitsune's breasts pressing against his arm with an almost audible 'squish' he found it rather difficult to speak.

"Oo!" Mutsumi said happily. "That sounds like fun – and I can help! I was accepted too, remember? It'll be the three of us, like it was when it was me and Naru and Kei-kun!"

With this declaration, she rose to her feet… and promptly passed out again, the sudden movement clearly affecting her low blood pressure and sending her back into unconsciousness. Motoko, being the closest, caught her before her head could hit the coffee table, exchanging an exasperated look with Naru, who simply shrugged and mouthed, 'figures.'

Keitaro may have noticed this had his mind not been focused on two other things – and the fact that the owner of the two things in question was looking up at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What?" he whispered, frowning at the serious light in the gray-haired girl's narrow eyes. "What is it?"

Finally pulling away, Kitsune whispered back, "Later… I'll tell you later. I've gotta get ready for work."

Detaching herself from his side, she slipped out of the room, using Mutsumi's collapse like a ninja smokescreen and disappearing as if she had never been there in the first place.

( 0 0 0 )

Kitsune leaned up against Shinobu's wall, watching the younger girl getting ready for her date with Keitaro. Her work vest was still on, since she had been asked to work an early shift that day, but in her hurry to take her mind off of her mounting personal issues, she had spilled a bit of sake on it. She had been on her way to the laundry room to put it in the washer when she had passed Shinobu's door and decided to step in and give some last minute coaching on the upcoming 'doomsday' date, as she had started to think of it.

What else could it be called when a fourteen year old declares that she WILL be making out with _her_ man, no matter what?

_And who says he's yours, anyway?_ Kitsune thought dully, staring down at the floor as Shinobu told her all about the movie she was planning to see. _He doesn't want you – anyone can see it just from the way he acts around you. What happens next, little girl?_ she wondered. _First it's a kiss, and then…_

The thought, that awful thought that had threatened to come out the day before when she was having coffee resurfaced in Kitsune's mind… and in the state she was in, the 'this is a bad idea' thought process in her mind was not working properly, leaving the unsuspecting Shinobu wide open for what was to come.

"So," Kitsune said suddenly, cutting into the younger girl's description of the movie's plot, "after the show… you gonna go to a hotel?"

"Mm?" Shinobu hummed, fixing her hair in the mirror. "Why would I? I have a room he-"

She cut herself off, nearly pulling out a clump of hair as she realized what Kitsune was really asking.

But Kitsune, who was not in the mood to be subtle, pushed away from the wall and walked over to Shinobu's dressing table, leaning over the younger girl's shoulder. "So, are you?" she asked. "You know, make out a little, drink a little, and then…"

Shinobu's face went bright red as Kitsune lowered her voice and finished her thought. "N-no," the younger girl stammered. "Nothing like that…!"

"Oh," Kitsune mused, "then are you going to…"

It was almost comical to watch the girl's face go from red to white as fast as it did as the foxgirl provided a rather graphic alternative to her original suggestion.

"No!" Shinobu cried. "I just… I want to be close to him, but that's… I don't want to do that kind of stuff…!"

"But isn't that… kind of selfish?" Kitsune asked carefully. "What did you think would happen, Shinobu? A little kissing? A little… touching, and that's it…?" she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Do you think it's fair to ask Keitaro to wait for three years for you to be old enough to have an 'adult' relationship? He's twenty-two, Shinobu… twenty-two years old. Will your conscience be clear asking him to stand by and live in perpetual frustration for that long without being willing to at least get down on your kn-"

"S-stop!" Shinobu gasped, covering her ears. "Don't… don't be dirty like that!"

Gently but firmly pulling the girl's hands away from her ears, Kitsune murmured, "Love isn't clean, Shinobu. You want my advice? My real, honest to God, woman-to-woman advice? Stop trying so damn hard to be a grown up, because you're not ready for it. Unless you're willing to take off your clothes and give him _everything_-"

"Stop it!"

"-then you aren't ready to-"

"STOP IT!"

"-be a woman yet!"

"_STOP IT!"_

Shinobu shoved Kitsune away, burying her face in her palms as she exploded into tears.

"Listen," Kitsune said softly, feeling like a total scumbag as she put a hand on top of Shinobu's head. "It's time you understood that the world isn't as pretty and perfect as you think it is. Keitaro's a man… and expecting him to wait forever to have one of his basic needs fulfilled is the same as him saying that he'll be your boyfriend as long as he doesn't have to hold your hand or kiss you."

She drew a deep breath.

"…can you understand that?"

"Y-yes," Shinobu hiccupped.

"So what are you going to do, then?"

Shinobu wiped at her eyes. "I don't… I don't know," she admitted. "I… I just don't know. I want… to be with him, but you're right… I'm not ready for… for that kind of stuff." Desperately, she looked up into Kitsune's eyes. "What should I do?"

"Just spend some time and think about it," Kitsune recommended. "Think about what would be fair to him, and you. Ask yourself if you'd really be happy being that close to him and forcing him to keep his hands to himself. If you're really ok with that, I'll still support you, Shinobu…"

Nodding, Shinobu whispered, "Thank you, Kitsune. I'll… think about it."

With her stomach clenching so hard she nearly threw up, Kitsune managed a light, carefree smile.

"Anytime, Shinobu… any time…"

( 0 0 0 )

Rubbing her tired eyes, Motoko finally closed her notebook, stretching her arms up over her head and groaning with satisfaction as her spine let out a series of cracks and pops, releasing the tension in her back as she let out a mind-numbingly good yawn. With this assignment out of the way, she was free and clear for at least… three days.

_When did high school get so hard?_ she thought, rising to her feet and letting out another yawn. _Oh that's right… when it got near the end._

With only four months left in her high school career, Motoko found the promise of college life both frightening and thrilling. If she got accepted to Toudai, she would be entering at the same time as Keitaro, and while they would both be a year behind Naru, they would still all be together.

And just lately, togetherness had been on her mind quite a bit.

_Naru, Keitaro, and Mutsumi, I suppose,_ she thought as she made her way down the stairs, _though Naru doesn't mention her much, so they must not have any classes together. I don't know why I'm worried about her staying here – I should be more worried about Shinobu and Kitsune, and that's if I should be worried at all. Ok,_ she thought suddenly, _time to stop being indecisive. Do I, or do I not… want to be in a relationship with Keitaro…?_

Of course, if it was as cut and dried as simply saying yes or no, Motoko would have decided long before, though she willingly admitted that the idea was growing more and more attractive to her. Passing through the living room, she was quite surprised to find Keitaro dozing on the couch with his hands laced behind his head and a troubled expression on his normally happy face.

Approaching him, she found his sketchbook lying open on the coffee table, showing a rather detailed drawing of her sister's rose on one page… and a drawing depicting everyone living at the Hinata on the next.

_We were never all together like this,_ Motoko mused, kneeling by the couch to study the drawing more closely. _This has to be from memory…_

Resting her cheek on her fist, she gazed down at the picture, impressed at the level of detail it depicted. Granted, these were people Keitaro saw every day, but as he had stated himself, portraits took a great deal more time than sketches, and as she looked at the picture, Motoko realized that she could see varying levels of detail in it, revealing – to someone looking specifically for it – who the manager had spent the most time looking at.

Naru, of course, was practically photorealistic, which was unsurprising, considering how much Keitaro had pined for her. Sara, Su, and Haruka were recognizable, but not much more. Again, not something that Motoko found shocking. Shinobu and Kitsune had a lot of detail, though, and in the picture, both seemed rather… sad, to Motoko.

Reflections, perhaps, of the way he saw them?

"So how do you see me, now that you've seen everything that I am?"

Motoko closed her mouth, blushing as she glanced over her shoulder to see if Keitaro had been awoken by her senseless rambling. Finding the manager still dozing, she turned back to the drawing, forcing her eyes to seek her own graphite-etched representation, and swallowing hard as she found herself looking down into a miniaturized mirror.

Everything was perfect. From her tied back hair, to her downcast eyes, to her unsmiling face, Keitaro had captured every aspect of her countenance – and had it been a full body shot, Motoko knew that he would have been able to reproduce her proportions in exacting detail, the hope that he might have forgotten how she looked without her shirt now nothing but a dim, hazy memory.

_Why does this feel wrong?_ she thought, suddenly averting her eyes. _It's a drawing of ME… I don't have to feel guilty for looking at it._

But guilt is exactly what she felt – as if she had somehow snooped into Keitaro's private thoughts and found herself reflected in his mind.

She squinted as she noticed something else about the picture, leaning down until her nose was almost touching the paper as she realized that, unlike the other people in the drawing, her lips were slightly parted, as if she was about to say something, or perhaps, as if anticipating a kiss – and, again, unlike everyone else… her checks were brushed with the faintest, almost undetectable tinge of pink, almost as if-

"What are you doing?"

"Gah!"

Motoko shot to her feet, banging her knee on the coffee table and losing her balance, pitching over backward and falling sideways onto the couch, landing with her side on Keitaro's stomach.

"…ow."

"Ah, sorry!"

Keitaro winced in pain, rubbing his tenderized stomach as Motoko pushed up off of him, trying to get back on her feet, but accidentally putting her hand on the sketchbook as she tried to use the coffee table for support and sending her right back onto him, this time driving her elbow into his gut.

"Wuff!"

"_Sorry!_ I'm trying to-"

"Can you just… stay still?"

Motoko froze, nodding as Keitaro grabbed her elbow and gently levered it out of his abdomen.

"Wow," he gasped, putting her elbow next to him on the couch. "If you didn't like the drawing, you should have just said so."

"I didn't-"

"Aw, you tore it."

"Huh?"

A quick look at the sketchbook confirmed Keitaro's unhappy statement. The sketch of the Hinata residents had been torn cleanly in two, ripping right down the middle and leaving the entire house divided along a clear line. Looking at the picture, it occurred to Motoko that Keitaro was not in it at all, a detail she had missed at first as she had been too wrapped up in studying the other residents.

"Sorry…"

With a sigh, Keitaro slumped back on the couch. "It's ok," he said evenly. "I was going to redo it anyway… it wasn't very good."

"No, it was," Motoko said quickly. "Everyone looked really good."

"You think so?"

"Definitely."

"Th-thanks…"

Motoko decided, rather suddenly, that Keitaro looked very cute when he blushed. She leaned a bit closer, unconsciously searching for some topic of discussion that would allow her to keep him talking and let her get a better feel for what, exactly, she felt for him.

"How are things going with Shinobu?"

She winced at the frown that replaced his blush.

_Poor choice._

Keitaro wet his lips. "Actually," he said softly, "things went really bad tonight."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he went on. "She was really… I don't know, tense and uncomfortable – like she thought I was going to jump on her or something, and she kept looking at me from the side of her eyes, then looking away as soon as I looked back. It was really weird."

"Hmm," Motoko mused, "that is rather strange…"

_Especially considering what she told me when she first asked you out…_

"It's kind of a relief, though."

"How so?"

Keitaro looked awkward as he whispered, "If she loses interest on her own, I won't have to hurt her feelings."

Motoko nodded. "Understandable," she said quietly. "I don't want to see her sad any more than you do, Keitaro, but I think it's wrong to keep stringing her along. If she doesn't lose interest on her own, you're going to have to make it clear where you stand. Even if it hurts, it's better than letting her live with false hope."

"…I know."

Staring into his face, Motoko could not help but feel a pang of guilt at the look of distress in his eyes. _I could have put that more tactfully,_ she thought. _This has to be hard on him already._

"Is your training going ok?"

"Uh huh," Motoko nodded, unconsciously rubbing the bruise on her cheek. "I'm working harder than ever."

"I know," Keitaro said softly, "I hardly see you anymore."

"I'm not avoiding you," Motoko whispered sharply, unsure why she was pitching her voice so low. "I've just… had to make up for all the time I lost, that's all."

"I understand."

"Good…"

Motoko wet her lips, putting a restraining hand on Keitaro's shoulder as she leaned forward, letting her instincts guide her as Keitaro's eyes widened in shock.

"Motoko, I-"

"Shh," she whispered, closing her eyes, "don't say anything right now…"

"…ok."

A moment before their lips met, there was a softly gasped, "Oh my…!" from the vicinity of the doorway, followed by a soft thump, breaking the moment like fine china.

Opening their eyes, Motoko and Keitaro looked up, fully expecting to find Mutsumi passed out on the floor.

…instead, they found Shinobu.

Continued…

Author's notes: none.

Hawker-748 pre-read AGAIN, which is a shame, because I like his stories better than mine, and I want him working on them instead.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 11

By Random1377

Keitaro sat perfectly motionless for nearly a minute, gaping at Shinobu's prone form before rising quickly from the couch and nearly knocking the equally stunned Motoko to the floor. "S-sorry," he stammered, helping her regain her balance before hurrying to Shinobu's side. "Hey, hey Shinobu, are you ok?"

The purple-haired girl groaned, shaking her head groggily as Keitaro and Motoko helped her to her feet. "I think so, Sempai," she murmured, blinking repeatedly. "I just thought I saw…"

Her eyes widened as she looked from Keitaro, holding her right arm, to Motoko, holding her left, and back again, the thought processes running through her mind nearly visible as she tried to pull away from both of them.

"Easy," Keitaro said soothingly. "You fell pretty hard. We need to see if you hit your hea-"

"I'm fine," Shinobu cut in, finally succeeding in yanking her arm free of his grasp. "Just… let me go, Motoko!"

Motoko's expression was calm and collected as she tightened her hold on Shinobu's arm.

"No."

"Let… go…!"

Shinobu struggled, growing more and more desperate as Motoko refused to release her.

"I won't let you go until you listen," the older girl said firmly, "so you might as well stop fighting before you hurt yourself."

Defeated, Shinobu stopped her ineffectual struggles, sniffling loudly as she covered her face with her free hand and turned her body away from Keitaro.

_God, I'm so sorry,_ Keitaro thought, nearly reaching out before Motoko caught his eye and shook her head, giving him a clear, 'I'll handle this' look.

"Shinobu," Motoko said levelly, "what you just saw… that's new, do you understand? It has nothing to do with what you and Keitaro have between you – and I'm the one who started it, so if you're going to be mad at someone, make it me."

"Wh-why?" Shinobu sobbed. "Why would you… try to do that? You know how I feel – I told you I l-" she cut herself off, yanking herself free of Motoko's grasp and stumbling into Keitaro's arms. "I love you," she cried, looking up into his face with wide, pleading eyes. "Sem… Keitaro, I love you so much." Her face crumpled as big, fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Damn it – why did I have to meet you now? If we'd met in a couple of years… I would have been ready, then." Burying her face in his chest she wailed, "It's not fair – it's not FAIR!"

Motoko opened her mouth, but Keitaro shook his head, glancing meaningfully at the door until the dark-haired girl got the message. Pursing her lips, Motoko nodded, slipping silently from the room and leaving Keitaro with Shinobu sobbing in his arms.

_What was it Motoko said when she gave me that rose?_ he thought, reaching up and gently stroking Shinobu's hair. _Something that's weak can seem strong, right? I know it was something like that. God, I don't want to be strong now…_

"Shinobu…?"

Pressing her face tighter against his chest, the young girl refused to answer.

"Shinobu, will you please look at me?"

"N-no," Shinobu gasped, clutching his shirt in her small fists. "No, I don't want to – I don't want to see this!"

Keitaro sighed. "I wanted to tell you this to your face, but if you won't look at me, I'll just have to say it."

"No – don't!" the girl begged, hugging him fiercely. "Don't tell me you don't love me… don't tell me you want Motoko instead… don't… don't tell me that I might have been the girl for you if I was a little older, because I don't want to HEAR IT!"

Clenching his eyes closed, Keitaro whispered, "I wasn't going to tell you any of those things, Shinobu… but I have to say this now, because you deserve to know."

Shinobu whimpered, but offered no reply, her last outburst seemingly draining her.

"You are a fantastic girl, but-"

"No!" Shinobu screamed. "No, no, no, no! Don't-"

"-but I can't be with you."

Shinobu slumped against him, her legs no longer able to support her as her worst fears were realized. She wanted to sob – to pound on his chest and tell him that he was making a big mistake… but she knew it wouldn't change anything. Kitsune was right, after all. Even if she had been able to hold him, it wouldn't have been very long. She simply was not ready to offer him her body yet, and asking him to remain celibate for her would just be wrong.

Sniffling, she pushed him away… and before he could say a word, she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him – long and deep and hard, throwing all of herself into it as she held onto his shirt, keeping him from breaking away before she was done.

When she finally stepped back, Shinobu wiped her eyes, her shoulders hitching as she stammered, "It doesn't… taste like lemons at all…"

Before Keitaro could ask what this meant, Shinobu turned away, walking towards her room with her head bowed and her back rigidly straight. As she reached the stairs, Keitaro blurted, "I'm sorry," bringing her up short as her shoulders trembled with repressed tears.

After a moment of silence, Shinobu simply walked up the stairs without looking back.

( 0 0 0 )

Things were quiet for a few days. Naru studied and went to school, Keitaro cleaned and sketched, Motoko practiced and contemplated, Kitsune worked and drank, and Shinobu avoided everyone, emerging from her room only long enough to cook and do her chores before sequestering herself once more and refusing to say a word to anyone no matter how insistent they got.

Even Su seemed to feel the bad vibes, growing exponentially more energetic as the others grew quieter, until Motoko had to take her aside and ask her to contain herself, telling her gently that while her enthusiasm was appreciated, it would probably be best if the younger girl reigned it in for a little while, and explaining that eventually things would get back to normal.

And so, time wore on. But as time is wont to do, it brought change – starting with nothing more than a simple, post-lunch conversation.

"Motoko," Mutsumi asked abruptly on one exceptionally chilly morning, "what happened to Shinobu?"

Looking up from where she had been putting the dishes in the sink, Motoko smoothly replied, "I don't know what you mean."

"Saa?" the other girl murmured. "How sad."

"What is?"

"…that you think I'm that stupid."

Motoko turned around, leaning against the sink and folding her arms over her chest. "I don't think you're stupid," she said flatly, impressed that Mutsumi was being direct for a change. "I just don't know, specifically, what you're talking about."

"Well," Mutsumi said thoughtfully, "for about a week now, just about since I got here, she's been hiding in her room and not talking to anyone. Now I know she used to be really shy, but the last time I was here, she was pretty comfortable with everyone… so I was wondering what happened."

Considering this for a moment, Motoko finally whispered, "It's… complicated, Mutsumi, and I don't think she'd want it spread around."

"Oh."

Mutsumi said nothing for a minute.

"Does it have something to do with the way Kitsune feels about Keitaro?"

"Kitsune?" Motoko snorted. "No, I don't think she has enough time between drinking and moping and selling DVDs to spend much time with Keitaro."

_At least, not that I've seen,_ she amended mentally, reminding herself to ask Keitaro if Kitsune was coming on to him. _Right,_ she thought dryly, _because we have such an open relationship. Or would it be more appropriate to say that we don't even really HAVE a relationship at all?_

They had something, that was for sure. When she saw him in the hall, there was always a brief moment of eminently pleasant tension in the pit of her stomach, and from the way he always averted his eyes and blushed when she looked at him, it was clear that he was feeling something too.

_He didn't try to stop me when I was going to kiss him that night,_ Motoko thought, forcing herself to remember that the encounter in question had pushed Shinobu to the breaking point. _So maybe… I should try again._

Mutsumi, who had been thinking about what Motoko had said, suddenly shrugged and murmured, "Funny, the way she looks at him, and the way he looks at her… I thought for sure there was something going on with them."

Motoko froze.

"…the way _he_ looks at _her_?"

"Uh huh," Mutsumi nodded. "They kind of… I don't know, hesitate, like there's something they want to say to each other, but don't know how, you know?"

_Yes,_ Motoko thought immediately, _I know exactly what you're talking about… but I haven't seen that – not with them._

Setting the last of the plates in the sink, she murmured, "Are you sure you're not imagining things?"

_Wow,_ she mused, _am_ _I getting defensive about this? Time to step up or step aside, huh? Yes, I think it is… so which will it be?_

Completely missing Mutsumi's response of, "Well, I didn't imagine them leaving together," Motoko decided that maybe it was about time she took the 'step up' option.

( 0 0 0 )

Kitsune talked animatedly as she walked along at Keitaro's side, pointing out some of the more memorable sights the city of Tokyo had to offer and trying to coax a smile out of him. They had been out on the town for several hours, and so far, Keitaro had not spoken more than a handful of words.

But Kitsune was not too concerned. She had seen him bounce back from worse than this.

_And besides,_ she thought, _this time… I'm here to help him bounce._

Shinobu, she reasoned, must have taken her advice and broken things off with Keitaro, as the two had been unusually quiet over the last few days. Kitsune could not say that she was happy about Shinobu feeling sad, but then again, she was not heartbroken about it either. After all… if Shinobu had still been clinging to him, Kitsune would not have been able to make her move.

_Because this IS a move,_ she thought, eyeing Keitaro critically as they boarded the train that would take them home. _Like I told Motoko and Naru, denial just isn't my style, so – hey… that rhymes._

She was proud to say that not a single thing about that evening was predicated by alcohol. Well, nothing except the spontaneous decision to pull Keitaro out of his room and haul him down the stairs – but that was excusable because it had been inspired by only a few drinks, and the rest of their date was pure Kitsune charm.

And charm him, she had, for while he had not said much, over the course of their time together, he had grown less and less tense, and his chin – which she thought would never come unglued from his chest – slowly rose until he was _almost _seeing past the ground in front of him.

Progress? Definitely.

_I just need… a little more time._

Time for what, she was not sure, but Kitsune felt sure that if she could just have Keitaro to herself for a little while longer, she would find the answer to the question that had been running through her mind for the last month.

What was she doing with her life?

It was Motoko's fault, really. She had decided this one night after emptying a few bottles of sake single-handedly. _If that sword slinging hussy hadn't gotten all confrontational that day, I wouldn't have given it a second thought._

Needless to say, she had given it a _lot_ of thought since then, and no matter how she approached things, she kept coming back to the fact that on the whole… her life was rather empty.

_Well all that's gonna change,_ she told herself as they mounted the steps to the Hinata Sou. _We'll just talk for a while, maybe… make out a little, and see where things go from there. I'm so tired of-_

"Hiiiii…"

Kitsune nearly jumped out of her skin as Mutsumi popped out of the bushes next to the stairs and waved to them. "What the hell are you doing there?" she gasped, feeling woozy from the sudden shock.

"Lost my shoe," Mutsumi replied dreamily, gesturing vaguely in the direction of her feet. "Motoko was looking for you, Keitaro."

"Did she say what she needed?" Keitaro wondered.

"To talk," Mutsumi yawned, crouching back into the bushes to look for her missing footwear. "She mentioned something about this weekend, I think… I wasn't listening very well, I'm afraid."

An icy wave of fear washed over Kitsune. _Just like Shinobu,_ she thought, grabbing Keitaro's hand. _Well not this time…!_

"If you see her, tell her we went back into town."

Before Keitaro could argue, Kitsune dragged him up the steps, looking everywhere to make sure no one saw them as she led him into her room, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Kitsune, what-mmmmph!"

Yanking him into a tight embrace, Kitsune clamped her lips down over Keitaro's. _Not this time,_ she thought once more, spontaneously deciding on just what it was she wanted from Keitaro. _I have to have something that's mine and no one else's – anyone could understand that, right?_

Kitsune's tongue circled and danced with Keitaro's, her strong arms ensuring that he was not going to try pulling away as she maneuvered him towards the bed. "Ooo I didn't know," she whispered, pulling away for a moment to look into his eyes. "I didn't know how bad I wanted you." Deliberately, keeping his stunned eyes held with hers, she took his right hand and slid it under her shirt, pressing it lightly against her stomach. "Here," she breathed, slowly leading his hand upward, "this is where I want you to be…"

She closed her eyes, shivering violently as Keitaro got the message.

"Here…?"

Breathing erratically, Kitsune nodded. "There," she confirmed, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue, "right there…"

For several moments, neither spoke, letting the sound of cloth and gasps and rough breathing fill the air until finally, they were lying on Kitsune's futon, kissing deeply. Her shirt lay in a ball at the head of the bed, and after several seconds, his joined it.

"Wait!" Keitaro gasped, pushing at her hand as she tentatively ran her finger along the zipper of his pants. "Kitsune, wait, we-"

"No," Kitsune murmured against his throat, "no, don't make me wait… I'm tired of always waiting… I want this, Keitaro – I want this right now."

_This is the only way._

Ketiaro's eyes went wide as she slowly tugged his zipper down, his heart hammering almost audibly as his pants found their way to the side of the bed.

"Mitsune, I don't think-"

"Good," Kitsune cut in urgently. "Don't think, Keitaro, just… don't think."

_That's right,_ she thought, yanking his lips back down to hers. _Don't think… just be with me._

After a few moments of awkward, fumbling resistance… Keitaro broke down and complied.

"Oh God…!"

It was like heaven… sweet and slow and gentle, and Kitsune found her world shaking as she learned firsthand just how good it could be to give in and let one's desires run wild. She held him with desperate strength as he moved, gasping softly in time to his movements and trying to remember why she had waited so long to let herself feel this wonderful closeness, the only thing spoiling the mood the unspoken but absolute need for silence.

If they were found like this, there would be no forgiveness.

Wrapped in his shuddering arms after they had finished, the answer to her internal question became quite clear. All of her other relationships had been child's play – nothing but preparation for a real, honest to God adult partnership. If she had even tried to get this serious before, it would have fallen apart because, quite simply, she was not ready.

_But that was then,_ she thought, resting her head on Keitaro's chest. _This is now. And I'm ready for this… I am sooo… ready for this…_

Closing her eyes, Kitsune thought of all the ways things would change. She could not slack off anymore, that was for sure… and the drinking would have to stop. Sure, a toast every now and then would be ok, but when she was drunk, her senses were dulled – and she did not want to miss anything anymore.

Her youth was behind her. It was time to grow up. Holding Keitaro a bit tighter, she squashed the voice in the back of her mind that kept trying to scream 'what have you done?' and drifted off to sleep with a final, sparkling thought lingering in her mind.

_I'm ready…_

To be concluded.

Author's notes: now… things get complicated.

Hawker-748 pre-read this convoluted mess and helped me stay on course, so big thanks are going out to him. Hope you're ready for what's coming up.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: see part 1.

Steel Rose

Part 12

By Random1377

Naru kept her eyes on her homework as her door slid open, sighing as a very familiar throat clearing tried to catch her attention. "What is it?" she asked, trying very hard to keep her voice level as her visitor stepped into the room and closed the door. "I'm really busy with this, Keitaro. What do you need?"

"I just… hoped I could sit in here for a while."

"Why?" Naru asked, her brow furrowing a bit at this odd request. "Isn't your room warmer? You still haven't fixed that draft I told you about week before last, you know. I'd love for someone to explain to me how come you're the manager of this dive if you never do anything."

There was a very long minute of silence before Keitaro whispered, "Never mind."

Yawning expansively, Naru laid her pencil down. "Oh, just stay," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "You just want to sit, right? I have no problem with that – just don't think I'll be chatty. I've got assignments due, you know."

"Thank you…"

Something in the young man's tone caught Naru's attention. "Trouble in paradise?" she needled, picking her pencil back up and pretending to maked a note on her homework. "Shinobu's not giving you too much grief, is she? She's been pretty quiet at the dinner table… don't suppose you actually grew a spine and told her you couldn't date her, did you?"

Keitaro laughed softly. "You know," he said softly, "I did… a week ago."

"Mm," Naru hummed. "Bravo, then."

"Yeah…"

"It's for the best," she said, finally lifting her head, "she really can't… oh my god, what's wrong?"

In spite of her lingering anger at being rejected, Naru still held a place in her heart for Keitaro, and probably always would… so the sight of his downcast, tear-streaked face instantly brought her to her feet and around the small table she used for homework, her alarm growing more palpable as Keitaro covered his face with both hands and leaned back against the wall.

"What?" Naru asked urgently. "Keitaro – what happened?"

"I d-did something b-bad," Keitaro groaned, wiping desperately at his eyes. "S-something… h-horribly bad…"

Naru nodded. "You know I have to ask what, right?" she murmured, tentatively putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can't help if I don't know what happened, you know. I doubt it's as bad as you think… so come on… tell me what happened."

"Y-you'll h-hate me!" Keitaro gasped, managing to get his breathing under control. "You… you already do – but you'll hate me forever if I tell you what I did…"

"I don't hate you," Naru said awkwardly. "Yeah, so, I'm a little hurt, maybe… but I don't hate you." She averted her eyes. "I don't think I could ever hate you, Keitaro… so why don't you tell me what happened, ok? I promise I won't freak out or-"

Keitaro blurted out what had happened.

Naru immediately broke her promise.

"Have you lost your _mind_?"

"It just… happened!"

Reminding herself that she was supposed to be supportive did no good. "How does something like that 'just happen'?" she demanded. "Did you just trip and accidentally slip it in, or what? God, you were right, you shouldn't have told me!"

Keitaro cringed, fumbling for the door as Naru clenched her hands into fists, her eyes burning with rage as she towered over him. Abruptly, she took a step back, clearly realizing just how close she was to laying into him in a physical sense.

"God, I want to hit you," she informed him, her voice low and raspy as she stared him dwon. "Tell me, Keitaro – because I honestly what to know. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Keitaro replied miserably. "That's just it. We went into her room, and she started kissing me, and… and then she started taking her clothes off, and my clothes off… and I just stopped thinking." He swallowed with some difficulty. "…it felt so good that someone wanted to be close to me that I just didn't want to think."

Naru's hands uncurled, revealing deep nail-marks in each palm as she held them up in front of her eyes. "You should have tried harder," she said flatly. "You… you shouldn't have done this – God, you really shouldn't have done this. No one is going to understand it, no one is going to forgive it… no one is going to let it go, Keitaro, do you understand? When people find out – and they will find out – you'll have to leave, because even though you say she started it, all they'll see is that you let it happen."

Abruptly, she averted her eyes.

"I don't know how to help you, Keitaro," she whispered. "I'll do anything I can to get you out of this mess, but the way I see it, there's nothing to be done."

"I know," Keitaro said hollowly. "…I told you you'd hate me."

Naru flinched. "I don't hate you," she said quietly. "I'm disappointed in you, but I don't hate you."

Wiping his eyes one last time, Keitaro whispered, "That's even worse."

"Yeah, well, what did you expect?" Naru muttered sullenly. "Blind acceptance? You've done something horrible, Keitaro – I can't even… God, I can't even think straight. There has to be a way to smooth this over…"

"There is," Keitaro said softly.

"What is it?"

"Like you said… I'll have to leave."

Waving one hand, Naru said, "I was angry when I said that. Running away won't solve anything."

Keitaro managed a weak smile. "Funny," he mused. "I was just thinking how much easier it would be."

"And that's why you can't," Naru said simply. "You know the old saying, right? 'Nothing that's worthwhile is easy.'"

"Is that the right one?" Keitaro wondered, his brow furrowing in thought. "I was thinking I should go with, 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

"Oh, now you're just being stupid," Naru retorted. "The bottom line is that you can't just blow this off. Something has to be done before this gets out of control, and believe me when I say that when Motoko finds out, no amount of running will save your hide."

Paling, Keitaro wondered, "Do you have any ideas?"

Naru bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment. "Just one," she said quietly. "And you _won't_ like it. No one will, really, but I can't… it's all I can think of. God," she whispered, scrubbing a hand through her hair, "I can't see anyone getting out of this without getting hurt. You really screwed up."

"I know, but please tell me what your idea is," Keitaro begged. "I'll do anything."

"You'll need to," Naru said grimly. "You're gonna want to sit down for this."

Keitaro did as he was told, and after a few minutes, Naru began to speak. It was nine in the morning when he came into her room. He did not leave until well past noon.

And Naru was right. He didn't like her solution at all.

( 0 0 0 )

Kitsune hummed as she moved around her room, grinning to herself as she remembered watching Shinobu doing the exact same thing in the kitchen a mere handful of days before. _Only with me, it's serious,_ she thought brightly. _You were just crushing, but me… I've got the real thing._

She felt like laughing out loud.

Poor little Shinobu was going to have to wait for her adult relationship for a few years, but Kitsune had gotten her hands on Keitaro's heart without even really trying. Oh, he had resisted a bit at first, but she had 'convinced' him that sleeping together was a good idea.

And as far as she was concerned, good didn't quite cover it.

_Awesome,_ she thought, trying the word on for size. _Incredible._ _Fantastic. Outstanding. No, wait,_ her smile grew wider, _mild-blowing. Hell yeah, that fits._

Turning around, she nearly screamed as she found Keitaro standing in her room. "Oh God!" she gasped. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"I knocked twice," Keitaro said weakly. "Sorry."

"No, no it's cool," Kitsune grinned. "How are you feeling this morning, lover?"

Keitaro returned her smile halfheartedly, and from look on his face, Kitsune expected him to say, 'Tired – you wore me out,' or something like that, so her jaw nearly gaped open as he gave a completely different reply.

"This isn't going to work out."

"I… huh?"

Looking as if he'd rather be eaten by wild dogs than spit out his next sentence, Keitaro somehow managed to stammer, "Y-you and me. We're not… I don't think this would work out, Kitsune…"

"Is that so?" Kitsune asked, her tone turning instantly icy. "And why not?"

"I don't see you that way," Keitaro said quietly. "I mean, I like you, and-"

"Yeah, enough to fuck me."

Keitaro paled. "Could you… keep your voice down?" he asked awkwardly. "I don't think-"

"What did I tell you about thinking?" Kitsune cut in. "Seems to me you're thinking about this _too_ much, Keitaro – don't get all weird on me now that we're actually doing it."

"It was just-"

"Is everything ok in here?"

Keitaro flinched as Shinobu stepped into the room, placing herself with a noted lack of subtlety between himself and Kitsune, her small frame tensed as if ready to move at a moment's notice, but her face calm and collected as she looked up into Kitsune's eyes, clearly sending the message that she was not going to leave unless she was thrown out.

Which, Keitaro found, didn't bother Kitsune at all.

"Nope," the gray haired girl said flatly. "Just a discussion between two adults about what happens the day after you have sex – nothing a little girl like you needs to worry about."

"Kitsune!"

Kitsune gazed over Shinobu's head and into Keitaro's eyes. "She'd find out one way or another, Keitaro," she said hotly. "Now what was that bullshit you were just spewing about not wanting to be with me – _after_ getting my bed sheets all sticky?"

"Kitsune," Keitaro winced. "Really, you don't have to be so l-"

"The hell I don't!" Kitsune screamed. "What the hell did you think would happen when you came in here to dump me, huh? You-"

"But we're not together!" Keitaro countered, looking as if he very much wished that Shinobu would leave. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. Last night… last night was a mistake…"

Kitsune could practically hear the blood singing in her ears. "A _mistake_?"

Keitaro swallowed, speaking only with the greatest difficulty as he softly, but clearly said, "It was my first time too, Kitsune… that's why I wanted to wait."

"What's that face for?" Kitsune said suddenly, bearing down on Shinobu as the younger girl slowly shook her head.

Shinobu gave her a sad smile.

"…you weren't ready yet either, were you?"

Kitsune's eyes flashed, her hand pulling back as she shouted, "Shut up!"

As she started to swing, though, a thin, tube-like object slipped deftly into the space between her forearm and shoulder, stopping her movement as effectively as if she had been grabbed by a tall, muscular man. The voice that accompanied the object was soft and commanding, issuing only one word in a tone that clearly exhibited an expectation of obedience.

"Don't."

All eyes traveled the length of the object (_sheath,_ Keitaro corrected mentally) to find Motoko standing just outside of Kitsune's door, her arm stretched as far as she could make it go as if unwilling to actually cross the threshold. Her expression was stern, but her eyes kept flicking to Keitaro's, as if hoping he might refute what she had clearly just overheard.

Even if he had, Kitsune's next statement would have rendered any denial moot.

"Oh, is he screwing you too, or am I the only one getting fucked around here?"

Motoko's face remained carefully neutral as she reached out with her free hand, pulling Shinobu out of Kitsune's range before extracting her sheath from the crook of the gray-haired girl's arm.

"What happens in your bedroom is none of my business," Motoko said smoothly, though her eyes told a different story as they swept briefly over Keitaro's, making him flinch and swallow audibly. "Regardless of what is or is not happening, though, I must ask that you not beat Shinobu for being observant."

"So you don't care if Keitaro is screwing me over?" Kitsune asked bitterly. "Some friend."

Motoko gently wrapped her arm around Shinobu's shoulders, resting the young girl up against her chest as she whispered, "Having sex and 'getting screwed,' as you so colorfully put it, are different. From what I've heard, Keitaro hasn't done anything wrong. I admit that I-"

"Nothing wrong?" Kitsune shrieked indignantly. "Nothing besides pump me and dump me, you mean! Whatever happened to all that, 'men are evil' crap you're so quick to babble about, huh? This is a prime example of that, and you're taking _his_ side? What… the… _hell_?"

"I admit," Motoko continued after a moment, "that I don't know every detail of what happened between you… but when I came to see what the yelling was about, I clearly heard Keitaro say that he asked you to wait, and you did not. Therefore, I would say, the fault is yours."

Kitsune was absolutely livid.

"My _fault?_" she screamed, stabbing a finger in Keitaro's general direction. "In case you were sleeping during sex ed, it takes two to-"

"Kitsune… please stop…"

"_What_?"

"Stop," Shinobu repeated, lifting her hands and resting them on Motoko's forearm. "I know… it hurts to hear that you're not the one – you know that I know that… but please… please don't make things worse by pretending that what happened meant something it didn't." She averted her eyes as she concluded. "You can _make_ love without _being_ in love. You understand the dif-"

"Out," Kitsune cut in flatly, pointing at the door and gritting her teeth so hard Keitaro could hear them grinding together. "Get the hell out of my room right this second. Why are you still here? Get _out!_"

Nodding, Motoko led Shinobu from the room, sparing Keitaro an assessing glance before following Shinobu to her room and closing the door.

After a moment of silence, Kitsune whispered, "You too, Urashima. I don't want to see your face right now."

Keitaro's shoulders slumped, but he did as he was told, trying to think of something to say – anything to say – to make her understand how he felt. When nothing came, he slowly slid the door closed, wishing that Kitsune would stop him before it latched and tell him that things would be ok, or that she would get over this somehow.

When she said nothing, Keitaro nearly started to cry.

…and in the morning, when her room had been cleaned and she was nowhere to be found, he did.

( 0 0 0 )

The saying about time and tide waiting for no man applies, sadly, to the brokenhearted as well. No one at the Hinata Sou spoke of what happened that night, though things seemed rather quiet with Kitsune gone. Shinobu and Motoko had reached an understanding that neither would bring the topic up with Keitaro… though each secretly wished that he would one day confess to her the truth of what had happened between him and Kitsune, because honestly, it was all rather shaky.

As for Keitaro, he found it best to keep his head down and not say anything to anyone, figuring that everyone in the boarding house must hold him responsible for Kitsune leaving. His relationship with Naru had stabilized, but had never – and would never, as far as Keitaro could see – returned to its former level of trust. She was polite to him, and even studied together with him and Motoko, but calling them more than casual friends would have been pushing it.

Keitaro felt thankful to have even that much, with the way she had reacted to the news that he had slept with Kitsune. The same was true for Shinobu… though their relationship had fallen into a more comfortable groove than the one he held with Naru. Shinobu, essentially, became his younger sister – a far cry from the rambunctious and clingy Kanako, whom he had not seen for several years.

Su and Sarah, of course, could not have cared less, and aside from Su's simple declaration that he still owed her playtime, as her lawful husband, neither of them said a word.

The only person Keitaro was not sure about was Motoko. She still spent time with him, even going back to calling him Sensei from time to time, though in a joking matter, but she seemed reserved and a bit distant, and several times, Keitaro caught her staring at him with a contemplative stare that almost made him ask what was on her mind.

On a cool day in March, several months after the blowup with Kitsune, he found out exactly what she had been thinking.

"Door's open," he called in reply to the knock on his door, his brow furrowing as he put the finishing touches on the sketch he had been working on.

It was another drawing of the Hinata residents – virtually identical to the one Motoko had inadvertently torn all those months ago. He knew it was Motoko at his door because she always cleared her throat in exactly the same way every time.

_And she's drumming her fingers on the hilt of her sword,_ he thought, smiling to himself as he pictured the scene in his mind. _Her expression is calm, but if I wait too long, she'll start to get irritated and say-_

"Sensei, may I speak with you?"

Keitaro almost chuckled to himself as Motoko spoke the exact words he had been thinking. "Sure, kohei," he replied, closing his sketchbook and rising to his feet. "What's up?"

When he turned around, however, he found that Motoko's expression was anything but calm. Her face was flushed, and her hands were clasped behind her back, her eyes scanning the floor as if looking for something she had dropped.

"Is something wrong?" Keitaro asked, instantly nervous. "What's happening? Is someone hurt?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Motoko said, taking a deep breath to regain her calm. "I simply… have something I've been wanting to give you for some time, but have never been able to bring myself to part with."

So saying, she brought her arms around in front of her, revealing another silver rose.

"Thanks," Keitaro said, taking it uncertainly. "I've still got the other one, though," he pointed out. "Unless… you're not giving up the sword again, are you?"

He averted his eyes as Motoko pursed her lips. _God, did I have to sound that eager?_ he chided himself. _It's not as if I don't see her a lot anyway. The only difference between now and then is that… hey, wait… I drew this thorn…!_

Keitaro squinted, bringing the rose closer to his eyes as he realized that he could spot several other details he had personally added to his sketch of the original rose in an attempt to make it more unique. He also realized that, unlike the other one, this rose really _was_ steel – and hand-forged from what he could tell.

"This… this is…"

"I made a mold based on your sketch," Motoko calmly informed him, nodding as he looked up at her in amazement. "I have a friend in town that has a forge, so the finished result is his, but it's based on your sketch – your sketch and my molding… a joint effort to create something of beauty."

"I… didn't know you sculpted," Keitaro said awkwardly, turning the steel rose over and over in his hands.

"I don't."

"Huh?"

Motoko reached out and plucked the rose from his hands, holding it up to eye level as she whispered, "It's terrible. Disproportionate, poorly cast… barely even looks like a rose." She held it out to him once more, concluding, "But it's still strong. Do you remember what I told you the rose symbolized when I gave it to you?"

Keitaro nodded, but did not trust himself to speak.

"This one symbolizes something different," Motoko explained. "It's imperfect… and not terribly shiny… but like I said, it's strong, and it's special to me because I forged it with my own hands."

Wetting her lips, she whispered, "It's… kind of like a metaphor for a relationship, Keitaro – more specifically, the relationship I want to have with you. I know it might not be pretty, and I know it might end up hurting me in the end… but I think, if we both work on it, like we both helped create this rose, it could be strong. In other words, to make it… perfectly clear, Keitaro… I would like you to be with me, for now and, if fate is kind, forever. Please accept this rose that you and I have made… and please accept my feelings along with it."

"How can you-"

"How can I what?" Motoko prompted as the young man cut himself off.

"…how can you want me when you know I slept with Kitsune?"

Motoko kept her hand outstretched, saying nothing for a moment before softly murmuring, "Please accept this rose, Keitaro… and please accept me along with it, because when I forged it, I did so knowing what has come before, and what I hope to see in the future." Her voice drew to a mere whisper. "I've spent a long time thinking about everything that's happened to us, and I've come to realize that you're the only person I've ever truly cared for. Keitaro, there isn't a better way to say this… but I cannot live with the uncertainty of not knowing how you feel, and I truly want to be with you, so this is the last time I'm going to ask. Please… if you care for me, accept this ro-"

She was cut off as Keitaro slowly lifted his hand, laying his first two fingers against her lips. He kept her waiting for well over a minute as he collected his thoughts, finally taking a deep breath before softly giving his reply.

"You told me once that you didn't think I could teach you anything… and I think that's still right. I'm not that smart, I'm really clumsy, and I say and do things that cause other people pain – but after all this time with you I've realized that I do… care about you, Motoko, so if you're willing to be in a relationship with me, even after everything I've done, that's just fine with me. More than fine, in fact – it's… God, I don't even know what else to say besides, 'yeah, I would love to be with you.'"

"Good."

All at once, Motoko slumped forward, forcing Keitaro to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"Whoa, wha-"

"I haven't… slept for two days," Motoko murmured, resting her head against his shoulder. "I've been thinking about how I can talk to you. Everything's been so… wrong since Kitsune left. This – you and me… it's the only thing that makes sense to me right now. I don't think I could have handled it if you had said no."

Tentatively, Keitaro embraced her. "Do you think… she'll ever come back?"

This topic seemed safer than the 'what happens now' question dancing on the tip of his tongue.

Motoko sighed. "I honestly don't know," she admitted. "I hope so, but she was so… angry the last time I saw her, I just don't know."

"Yeah…"

When Motoko wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tentative, chaste kiss, Keitaro decided that the topic was closed.

Epilogue

March gave way to April, then May, June, and July, until soon, even the blistering heat of August was almost past bringing the the start of the new semester ever closer, like a beast lurking in the shadows and waiting for the most opportune time to strike. Motoko and Keitaro took things slow during this time, keeping their intimacy to kissing and holding hands, partially for fear of moving too fast, but mostly because neither was quite ready to embark on the type of relationship Kitsune had so desperately tried to kindle with Keitaro.

Motoko passed her entrance exams, and while she knew she was not the girl Keitaro had promised to go to Toudai with, she was still comfortable stepping into the mystery girl's shoes and spending the rest of the foreseeable future in happiness with her boyfriend. She still lamented the fact that she had failed in her test, but Keitaro was a good teacher of patience, and eventually she came to understand that he was right when he repeatedly told her, 'Just think – with all the extra training, when your mom comes back… she probably won't even have to test you before letting you move on.'

There were, of course, incidents, accidents, and adventures of all types at the Hinata Sou. Keitaro still tripped and pulled towels down, Naru and Motoko still pounded him for his inappropriate behavior (though it was more Naru than Motoko), and the group still chased after their various dreams, leading, for the most part, a happy life… though each and every day, sad glances were cast at the empty spot Kitsune used to occupy, and her room was left as it was by mutual, unspoken consent.

And so it was, on breezy day in late August, that Keitaro was sweeping the front porch of the Hinata and thinking about what was to come in just a few short weeks. _If we're all in school,_ he was thinking, casting a surreptitious glance over to where Motoko was staring down the Hinata's long stairway, _then how will we have time to be together? It's like Naru said when we went out to dinner – only worse, because both of us will be studying instead of just one of us._

"But we'll work it out," he whispered to himself. "If we've come this far, and we're still together… then anything's possible."

_I never even thought I would together with HER though,_ he mused, squinting a bit as he spied someone making their way up the stairs towards the Hinata. _Naru_ _was supposed to be the one… but that kind of seems like a dream now, especially after her advice on how to handle Kitsune._

He could still see the look of anguish on Naru's face when she had told him to do it fast, and do it bluntly, like tearing off a band aid. She had told him that the only way to avoid getting in deeper with Kitsune was to end it quickly, or else he would be stuck in the same type of situation he had found himself in with Shinobu – only to the tenth or twentieth power, since there was already sex involved.

_It hurt her just as much as it hurt Kitsune,_ Keitaro thought miserably. _I… I don't think she's forgiven me, even now, or herself, really. God, I think that day was the worst of my whole life – and I've had a lot of bad-_

"Keitaro," Motoko said, the sudden tension in her voice drawing his eyes up to her shocked face. "Keitaro… look…!"

"Hmm?"

Following her finger, Keitaro found a woman making her way up the last of the stairs, lugging a heavy looking suitcase in one deeply tanned hand. She was dark all over – like Su might look if she spent some time tanning – and her hair was a very light gray, also, it seemed, from too much time in the sun… but as she took her dark sunglasses off, Keitaro froze completely, blinking several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating as the woman gave him a tentative smile and set her suitcase on the top stair.

"Kitsune…?"

Kitsune's smile grew as she folded her arms across her chest and dropped him a playful wink.

"I'm home."

Keitaro returned her smile, looking to Motoko for approval before dropping his broom and throwing his arms around Kitsune in a fierce, tearful hug.

Motoko nodded to herself as Kitsune immediately tensed and distanced herself from Keitaro, clearly unprepared for even that level of closeness so soon after her return. _I can't blame her,_ Motoko thought, looking up at the Hinata as Keitaro took an apologetic step back and scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. _But at least she's here. You're stronger than I am, Kitsune… if it had been me, I never would have come back._

Meeting the older woman's eyes, Motoko nodded, pleased that Kitsune returned her nod and added a polite bow. With nothing more to be said, Motoko whispered the only thing that would have any real meaning to someone that has been away for far too long, making sure that Kitsune heard her before the rest of the residents of the Hinata came screaming and yelling from the boarding house, ecstatic to see her once more and eager to tell her about everything that had taken place in her absence.

"Welcome home…"

The End

Final notes: this was always, always a Motoko-centric fic. The name of the file that houses the entire story is motoko dot doc, for cryin' out loud, and the description mentions no one but Motoko, so no one should be all that surprised by this ending. I toyed with several scenarios, though, including every pairing possible (and no, I don't consider Su, Haruka, or Sarah possible, since each one is icky for its own reasons) before giving up and just following the story threads to their natural conclusion.

Hopefully I didn't leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth by making just about everyone suffer through broken hearts, but honestly, this was always meant to be a romance, not a WAFF, and in romance stories… sometimes people get hurt. I hope, with the ending, that everyone was – if not healed – at least content, because I didn't want to come off as a basher or hater of any of the characters.

This note has gone on long enough, and considering that this story is approaching 140 pages and 45,000 words, I think it's time to put it to bed.

I can't thank Hawker-748 enough for his input on this fic, since it was entirely his guidance that kept me from spinning entirely out of character and off canon. If I STILL failed to stay within the character and story framework of the original, the blame is on me, not him, because without him… well, I can't tell you about that plot line, because it'll probably be a fic by itself, but without him this story would have gone far further from the feel of the original than it already did.

Thanks to everyone that read this little diversion into the Love Hina world. I hope you found it entertaining, or at the very least, mildly amusing.

See you next fic.

-Random


End file.
